


Soft Focus

by tellmewhatyousee



Series: Soft Focus — Modern AU [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Captain Daisy the service dog (OC), Chronic Illness, Cora the cat (OC), Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Friends to Lovers, Law is a surgeon, Luffy has EDS, M/M, Narcolepsy, Slow Burn, WIP, ace has narcolepsy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:54:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 44,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24668734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tellmewhatyousee/pseuds/tellmewhatyousee
Summary: Law is a grumpy surgeon who hasn't made a new friend since college. Ace is a narcoleptic film student with a sunny disposition (and perhaps a little crush on Law).When Ace's little brother needs a heart transplant, Law finds himself much more involved than he'd ever expected to be.(on hiatus for revisions! readthis postfor more info.)
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace, Portgas D. Ace/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Series: Soft Focus — Modern AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1793332
Comments: 172
Kudos: 217
Collections: tellmewhatyousee's Personal Faves, the op verse in which everyone has pets





	1. Chapter 1

Law never got much downtime at work, so he tried to spend his breaks away from the hospital as much as possible. Most often, he’d take a walk around the park across the street. He couldn’t just stay in one place, after all. Not after standing in the OR for six hours.

His walks were usually pretty quiet, since most of his shifts took place in the late hours of the evening. Unfortunately, his current shift was right in the middle of the day, so he was running a high risk of human interaction by going out in his scrubs.

For the most part, he managed to lay low, strolling along the sidewalk that bordered the park. Occasionally, he’d pass by a jogger or someone walking their dog, but he’d only acknowledge them if they did so first. All things considered, even with the people around him, he was content to have some quiet time away from the chaos of work.

Part of him wished he hadn’t lifted his head at the exact moment he did.

A man was sitting on a bench, slumped over so that his face was out of sight. There was a dog with him, standing on its hind legs while its front paws sat on his lap. It was nudging his face with his nose, and needless to say, it wasn’t a promising sight.

Sleeping or dead, Law took an oath. Whether he wanted to or not, he had to go find out.

He jogged over to the bench, hands stuffed in his pockets, and crouched down to get a look at the man’s face. His eyes were closed, and he was completely still, despite the dog lapping incessantly at his cheek. “Excuse me, sir?” Law said, his voice a bit louder than he’d typically speak. “Sir, can you hear me?”

With no response, the next course of action was to look for a pulse. But when he reached forward, the dog barked at him, and he was quick to jerk his hand back. It was a big, fluffy thing, and Law felt a little embarrassed for being startled by what was essentially a walking marshmallow.

He barely had time to think of his next move before the man’s head snapped up, his eyes wide open. He looked startled, right up until the dog started nudging its nose against him again, and a grin appeared on his face. “Hey, good girl,” he said, holding the dog’s face between his hands and ruffling the fur there.

It was only when the dog calmed down and went back to the ground when the man noticed Law crouched down in front of him. “Oh, hi!” he said, his tone far too friendly for someone who had just been unconscious in public. “Did someone call the paramedics on me again?”

Law blinked, glancing down at his scrubs. What sort of paramedic dressed like that? “Ah, no,” he replied, “I was walking by, and I saw that you were unconscious, so I came over to make sure you weren’t dead.”

“Oh, sorry to waste your time,” the man said with a wave of his hand. “I’m fine! Just havin’ a little snooze.”

Law frowned as he moved to stand. “You’re sure you’re alright?” he asked.

“Yep! Just a sleep attack, happens all the time. But that’s why I’ve got Daisy here, she knows what to do.” The dog perked up at the sound of her name, and the man reached down to pat her head. “Yeah, cutie, I’m talkin’ about you.”

Law glanced down at the dog, who wasn’t even wearing a collar, then back at the man. “Is she a service dog?” he asked.

“Yeah, she’s really smart!” the man replied. “She can tell I’m gonna go down for a nap before I even know what’s going on.”

Law hummed. That explained her… protectiveness, at least. “Shouldn’t she be wearing a harness, or a vest or something?” he asked.

“Oh! Yeah, she usually does,” the man said. “But today’s her day off.”

Law furrowed his brow. He couldn’t tell if he was overtired or if this guy was just a moron. It didn’t matter. “So… medically speaking, this is a regular occurrence, and you’re fine?” he asked.

“Totally fine,” the man said with a nod. He still had that big, obnoxious grin on his face. “Thanks for checking up on me, though, Doc. Much appreciated.”

Law let out a sigh. At least he didn’t have to do anything else. “Sure,” he said, then turned on his heels. “The hospital is right down the street if you have any problems.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” the man replied. After a moment, he called, “Especially if all the doctors are as cute as you are!”

Law kept on walking, and didn’t stop until he made it back to the hospital.

* * *

Law hated going to the cafe so early in the morning. It was always far too crowded, since everyone under the sun had to get their morning coffee. Normally, he’d wait until he got home for that, but he’d just finished a 12-hour shift. He was in no condition to be driving just yet.

Naturally, he only managed to get one foot in the door before someone was bothering him.

“Are you a doctor?” a young woman asked, the panic evident in her voice.

“I am,” Law replied, resisting the strong urge to answer with a sarcastic remark about the hospital directly next door. Now wasn’t the time.

Before he could ask any questions, she was tugging on his arm to drag him further into the building. “This guy just hit the floor,” she said, “No one knows what happened!“

As they forced their way through the crowd, Law caught sight of a familiar orange beanie. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw the unconscious man on the floor, the exact same idiot he’d met the other day.

He tried his best to push those thoughts aside as he crouched down by the man’s side. While it could very well just be another sleep attack, it could always be a serious medical emergency. No matter how tired he was, it was his responsibility to take action.

As he pressed his fingers below the man’s jaw to find a pulse, he looked at the crowd that surrounded them. No dog in sight, which could very well explain why he was on the ground in the first place. His pulse was steady, though he was strangely warm to the touch, and—

Rather suddenly, the man jerked up into a sitting position, looking around him. Once again, it only took a couple seconds for him to relax, and his expression shifted into a sheepish grin. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare anyone,” he said. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine!”

Most of the crowd seemed reasonably confused, but they started to split up once the excitement had gone. Law stayed by his side, though, even if it took the man a moment to turn his head and spot him. “Oh, hey, it’s you!” he said, his face lighting up in a way that Law did not like one bit.

“Where’s your dog?” Law asked, “Isn’t she supposed to be around for situations like this?”

“Oh, she’s at home,” the man replied with a shrug. “She was taking a nap, and she looked so happy! I didn’t wanna wake her just for a quick walk down the street.” He paused, glancing down towards the floor. “Hey, if I conk back out, would you give me mouth-to-mouth?”

Law rolled his eyes. “First of all, chest compressions are far more effective,” he said. “Second, considering you’re breathing just fine, I don’t think thatʼs necessary. Did you hit your head on the way down?”

The man furrowed his brow. “Well, now, that’s not very nice,” he said, though he had a playful little smile on his face. “I’m just havin’ a little fun, Doc.”

“No, I mean—” Law sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “From a medical standpoint, I need to know if there’s any chance of a head injury.”

The man blinked. “Oh! Right, that makes more sense,” he said. He reached around to the back of his head, under his beanie, and ruffled his hair. “I don’t think so! It feels like my back took most of the fall.”

Law eyed him for a few moments before he replied. “If you’re sure,” he said, “Just… have someone walk you home, and please see a doctor if you’re feeling anything out of the ordinary.”

“Got it,” the man replied, then sprung up into a standing position far too quickly for someone with a possible head injury. “I wanna get what I came here for first, though, or else this whole trip would be a waste!” He offered a hand to Law, who ignored the gesture and stood up on his own. The man seemed unfazed, and just tucked his hand into his pocket instead. “Here to get something of your own, Doc? Let me buy you a drink.”

Law raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t a bar,” he said, “And I’m perfectly capable of buying my own coffee.”

“I’m sure you are, Mr. Professional Doctor, but I wanna do something nice for you!”

Law’s protests fell upon deaf ears while the man gave his order at the counter, pulling his wallet from his pocket. It was only when the cashier asked ‘Anything else?’ that the man turned back to look at Law, who, after a slow exhale, muttered, “Large iced coffee. Black.”

“Ooh, sounds fun,” the man teased, and Law just shot him a glare.

There wasn’t much conversation between them while they waited for the order, but at some point, Law did process the name he’d given the cashier: Ace. It sounded like a goofy nickname, something a child might call themself. But, somehow, it fit that man and the dopey grin on his face.

When the order was ready, Law was about ready to grab his coffee and haul ass out of there, but Ace seemed to have other ideas.

“Here, I’ll grab those,” he said, nodding towards the counter. “Why don’t you go find us a place to sit?”

Law let out another sigh. So, that was it— held hostage with the promise of caffeine. Without the energy to protest, all he could do was find a table and sit down.

It wasn’t long before Ace sat down across from him, holding his own hot coffee as well as a small paper bag. “Y’know, iced coffee is an interesting choice,” he said as he reached into the bag, then pulled out a chocolate chip muffin. “It’s kinda cold out.”

Law looked Ace up and down. He was wearing a tank top, one with ridiculously large armholes that showed the sides of his chest, and a pair of cargo shorts. “You’re one to talk,” he said, “I’m surprised you didn’t freeze to death on the way here.”

Ace shrugged. “Eh, I tend to run kinda naturally warm,” he said, but took a sip of his hot coffee nonetheless. “I don’t think I ever got a name from you, Doc.”

Law glanced up at Ace again. If he knew his name, that would imply they were acquaintances, which was something Law was really trying to avoid. But the guy _did_ pay for his drink, and it seemed rude to just ignore the question. “Law,” he said.

“Huh, that’s a cool name,” Ace said, “And you work next door?”

“Yes,” Law answered curtly, and took another sip of his coffee. Small talk was not something he was good at, and the fact that he was so exhausted wasn’t making it any easier. “And... yourself?”

“Oh, I’m a student,” Ace replied, looking strangely proud of that fact. “Iʼm a film major. I do some other stuff on the side to make ends meet, but I don’t really like being too busy, you know?”

No, Law _didn’t_ know. Even back when he was a student himself, he couldn’t remember having the time to do much other than study and sleep. He only gave Ace a noncommittal shrug as he sipped his drink.

“So, why don’t you just get your coffee at work?” Ace asked, apparently not done with that topic just yet. “Don’t you have a whole cafeteria over there?”

Law made a face. “The coffee there is… abysmal,” he said, “And I prefer to take my breaks away from the building when I can.”

Ace chuckled. “Guess that makes sense,” he said. “You look like you’re about to fall asleep, honestly. Not a morning person?”

“I work nights, mostly,” Law answered. “I’m headed home after this.”

“Oh, man, I wish I could say the same,” Ace replied, resting his chin in his hand. “I hate being up this early. But I have to meet someone for a group project thing soon.”

“All the more reason to have your service dog accompany you on the way,” Law muttered. While he didn’t have too much experience with such animals, he knew they were well-trained and rather expensive as a result. What was the point in going through all that trouble if he was just going to leave it at home?

Ace either didn’t hear him or didn’t care to respond, but Law could practically feel the man’s gaze on his hands. Starting to feel a bit self-conscious, he took them away from his cup and tucked them into his pockets. He got enough questions about his tattoos; he really didn’t need to explain himself to another person.

“Cool ink,” Ace said, directly against Law’s wishes. “How long have you had it?”

Law raised an eyebrow. Usually, the first comment was somewhere along the lines of ‘what sort of doctor has tattoos that say _death,’_ but Ace didn’t seem particularly offended. Just… curious.

“About… ten years or so,” Law replied. He’d gotten most of his tattoos as soon as he was legally allowed to. His eyes wandered towards Ace’s own tattoo, a series of four letters down his arm. It looked like someone had messed up the spelling of his name and tried to cross out their mistake, as if it wouldn’t be noticeable. “And yourself?”

“Oh, I got this one on my eighteenth birthday,” Ace said, glancing down at his arm. “There’s another big one on my back, I got it last year. It hurt like hell, but it was worth it.”

Law just hummed in response, and grabbed his coffee again now that he didn’t feel the need to hide his hands. Were he talking to a friend, he might mention his own tattoos that covered his torso. But Ace wasn’t a friend. He was just an idiot who kept passing out in Law’s line of sight.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d zoned out for, but by the time he came back to attention, Ace had scarfed down his muffin and was looking at the watch on his wrist. “Oh, shit, I’m gonna be late,” he said as he stood from his chair. “You get some sleep, alright, Doc?”

Law raised his eyebrows. He could surely try. “Bring your dog with you if you plan on going out anywhere else, would you?” he asked.

Ace was already grabbing his coffee and rushing towards the door, but he called a response over his shoulder before he left. “Sure, if she’s awake when I get back!”

Law just sighed, slumping over in his chair. When was his coffee going to kick in?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stories in which two very different characters gradually fall in love over a series of awkward encounters is one of my favorite things to write and i'm so glad i get to share this fun little adventure with yall. i've been developing this AU in an RP with a friend and i have a lot of things i'm really excited to write!
> 
> also, full disclosure: i do not have narcolepsy, nor do i have experience with it. i know it's a serious disorder and i don't intend to just frame it as a joke. i do my research, but if you have experience with it and see something horribly inaccurate, feel free to let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a few weeks since Law last saw Ace, and he was hoping his luck would continue. He hoped their meetings wouldnʼt become a regular occurrence (though he knew it was entirely possible, since the guy lived so close to the hospital). Law had a job to focus on, and thoughts of the grinning dumbass who didn’t take good care of himself were not part of that job.

The hours Law spent in the OR always gave him respite from anything else on his mind. Surgery was a form of meditation, relaxing despite the stakes. He only had to focus on the patient in front of him, occasionally the nurses and his fellow surgeons assisting him with the procedure. While he often heard aimless small talk between them, most knew not to drag him into it. Some part of his brain just knew when to tune back in, when he heard a medical term or an otherwise important comment.

By the time he made it out of surgery, and he could pay attention to his own body, he realized just how hungry he was. He remembered eating lunch before he came into work, but it was nearly midnight by then, and he was long overdue for a meal. While hospital cuisine wasn’t his first choice, none of the decent restaurants nearby would be open at that hour, and he never had the foresight to bring something from home.

He changed into a fresh pair of scrubs before he headed down to the cafeteria. It was mostly staff, a few patients here and there, some people who might’ve been staying the night with a family member. It was nice and quiet, the usual chatter kept to a minimum. Law thought it was a much more pleasant environment that way.

Once he got his mediocre coffee, as well as a bowl of instant oatmeal, he searched for a secluded place to sit. He was not expecting to walk by a dog sitting on the floor, nor was he expecting to see the familiar man who accompanied it. Before Law could turn around and book it to the other side of the cafeteria, Ace caught his eye, grinning and waving him over. Law’s shoulders slumped with a sigh, but he made his way over to the table regardless.

“Hey, I was wondering if I’d see you around here, since you said you worked nights,” Ace said. He had an empty tray in front of him, but was still working on a bottle of water. “It’s a big hospital, though. Almost asked someone to page you.”

“I wouldn’t advise that,” Law said. “Why are you here, exactly?”

“Oh, my little brother’s here for an appointment,” Ace replied, “Some kinda… sleep study thing. I’m just sticking around for a bit.” He raised his eyebrows, looking hopeful. “Are you busy? You can sit here if you want.”

Law took a deep breath. So much for a peaceful dinner. While he supposed he could just say that _yes,_ he _was_ busy, that seemed rude. He knew well enough that waiting for a relative in the hospital could be a stressful experience, no matter the circumstances. Maybe Ace just needed some company.

Law didn’t say a word while he sat down and started eating, but sure enough, Ace was ready to keep the conversation going.

“Hey, I even brought the Captain with me, see?” he said, gesturing down towards the dog beside him. “Uniform and all.”

“I see,” Law replied. He wasn’t about to congratulate someone for letting a service animal do their job, but at least this time around, he wouldn’t have to do it himself. “You said your brother was here for a sleep study,” he began, hoping to keep the conversation away from himself. “What for?”

“Oh, nothing too big,” Ace said with a wave of his hand. “He’s got this disease, it makes him all stretchy, and it fucks with his organs sometimes. It’s called, uh...”

Law paused, searching the database of medical terms that were crammed somewhere in his brain. “Ehlers-Danlos?” he tried.

“Yeah, that one!” Ace replied, a little too happy about that for Law’s taste. “So, he’s having some heart problems, and we’ve been waiting on a transplant, but I guess they’re just making sure he’s not gonna go out in his sleep or something.”

Law furrowed his brow. Admittedly, he hadn’t been expecting something quite so serious. “You seem pretty calm about that,” he said.

Ace shrugged. “Well, yeah, we’ve been through this sorta thing before,” he said, “The surgeries, I mean. He’s a resilient kid, he’s been through worse. I’m not worried.” He took a big gulp of his water before he looked down at Law’s scrubs. “You’re a heart surgeon?” he asked. “Maybe you’ll end up with him.”

Law followed his gaze to the ID card pinned to his shirt pocket. Frankly, he was surprised that Ace knew what ‘cardiothoracic’ meant. “I am,” he answered. “But, it’s generally poor practice to carry out procedures on patients one has an… association with. So I probably won’t be on his case.” It wasn’t like he was _friends_ with Ace, so it wouldn’t really be breaking any rules, but he was going to make a point to avoid it anyway. He didn’t like to get to know his patients _or_ their families.

“Huh, I guess that makes sense,” Ace said, resting his chin in his hand. “You know your stuff, though, right?”

Law raised an eyebrow. “I’d like to think so, yes,” he said.

Ace nodded. At some point, he’d started fidgeting with the cap on his water bottle. “So… say, I have some questions down the line—”

“You should ask his doctor,” Law interjected.

“Well, _yeah,_ but I bet they’re super busy,” Ace said, looking up towards the ceiling. “I’m not gonna bother them when I already know a super cute heart surgeon who should totally give me his number, so we don’t have to keep meeting by accident.”

Law blinked, taking a moment to process that statement. This was _not_ going where he’d been expecting it to. “Excuse me?”

“Your phone number,” Ace said. “You don’t _just_ use a pager, right? I know you’re older than me, but you can’t be _that_ old.”

Another pause. Law couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Don’t you think that’s a little… inappropriate?” he asked.

Ace raised his eyebrows. “Hm? Why?” he asked. “You’re not _my_ surgeon.”

Before Law had the chance to go into the ethics of using a relative’s medical problems to hit on a surgeon at his place of work, his pager beeped from his pocket. For once, the sound that grated on his nerves was serving as his savior. He glanced down at the screen as he stood from his seat. “I have to go,” he said, picking up the remains of his dinner from the table. “I hope all goes well for your brother.”

He only got one glance at Ace before he walked away, but he hated how the man looked so… satisfied with himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my writing blog is [over here](https://t3llmewhatyousee.tumblr.com/) if you happen to want to follow my journey in writing this (among other things). if you're interested in updates/commentary about the fic, i use the tag #soft focus posting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things get a little on the serious side in this chapter, but it's nothing that's not included in the tags!

Ace didn’t drink very often, and for good reason. Still, he decided that after the week he’d had, he deserved a nice, fancy beverage.

The bar was always fun. Pretty girls gravitated towards him when they saw the fluffy Chow-Chow that accompanied him. He wasn’t technically supposed to let people distract Daisy while she was working, but he always made exceptions. Sometimes, they’d ask why he even _needed_ a service dog in the first place, and he was always sort of vague with his answers, but most people had the sense not to pry any further than that.

Ace, having learned from previous experience, only had a couple alcoholic drinks. The next thing he ordered was a virgin strawberry daiquiri— a nice treat that would sate his sugar craving without making him any more tipsy. By the time he’d started drinking that, the girls who had been playing with Daisy had wandered off, so he was left alone with his thoughts.

He had a habit of zoning out, especially when he was alone— or, at least, when he wasn’t talking to anyone else. The constant chatter around him fell upon deaf ears while he worked on his daiquiri and stared off into space. He wasn’t sure quite how long he was out of it, but the sound of a familiar voice tore him straight out of his own head.

He looked over to see none other than his new surgeon friend ordering a drink, just a few stools away from him. With a grin, Ace stood from his seat and took the one beside Law. Daisy, obedient as ever, followed close behind.

Law did a double-take towards Ace, then audibly sighed as he grabbed the glass the bartender put down for him. ”If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were stalking me.”

Ace chuckled. “Hey, _you’re_ the one who keeps showing up in places after me,” he said. “I didn’t even know surgeons were allowed to drink.”

Law shrugged. “I’m not working. I’m not on call. My time is my own.” He raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t alcohol make your symptoms worse?”

“Oh, totally, But this is a virgin.” Ace gestured down at his drink. “I know my limits. But I appreciate the concern, Doc.”

Law just scoffed. Maybe he was more worried about dealing with Ace falling asleep on him, but Ace liked to think it was genuine concern for his well-being anyway.

For the next few minutes, a comfortable silence sat between them. Normally, Ace would fill the space with conversation, but he wasn’t really up for it that night. However, as the silence dragged on, his mind started to wander again, and he found himself speaking up without really thinking about it.

“If someone needs a heart transplant, and they don’t get it in time, what happens?”

He could see Law tense ever so slightly, but his expression remained the same; neutral, almost bored. “Well… that’s a very broad question,” he said. “There are thousands of people in line for an organ transplant at any given time, and the order is constantly changing. If someone’s condition were to worsen, they’d be considered more of a priority.”

Ace nodded. He’d heard something like that, the doctors had explained the whole process to him back when they first found out Luffy needed the transplant. “Okay, but… what if they get worse, and no one catches it on time?” he asked, “Then what?”

Law spared Ace a quick glance before he looked back down at his drink. “Well, again, it depends on the specific situation,” he said, “Every case is different. The patient may be able to hold out until a viable organ becomes available, or, in other cases, they might die before they get it.” He paused to look at Ace, and maybe Ace’s anxiety showed a little too much, because Law continued rather quickly. “But, of course, that’s why your brother is likely going for regular checkups. I’m sure his doctors are doing everything in their power to prevent something like that from happening.”

“Right,” Ace muttered, lowering his head to stare down at his drink. Wasn’t asking questions supposed to make him feel _better?_ “What should I… what can I do for him?” he asked. “How can I help?”

Law seemed to think about that for a moment. “Well, keep taking him to his appointments, of course,” he said, “Or, at least, ensure that _someone_ does. Be there for him when he needs you. Listen to his doctors. That’s… about all you can do at this point.”

Ace let out a sigh, almost sounding defeated. ”I guess,” he mumbled. “I was just kinda hoping you’d have some miracle medical advice that would save his life, you know?”

Law raised an eyebrow. “I assure you, if such a thing existed, his doctor would have done something like that by now.”

Ace only gave him a slight nod in response. He could’ve sworn Law said something else, but he couldn’t quite make it out. He was fading, he could tell, and the next thing he processed was Daisy jumping up onto his lap. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her and surrendered himself to sleep.

Some time later, he woke up to the familiar sensation of Daisy licking his face, which got a little giggle out of him. “M’kay, I’m awake,” he mumbled, gently pushing her head away. She gave him a few more nudges with her snout for good measure before she hopped back down on all fours.

Ace looked around the room, just taking in his surroundings. It took him a moment to realize that Law was standing directly beside him, leaning back against the bar in the small space between the stools. He was looking out towards the crowd until he caught Ace’s eye.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah, I’m good,” Ace replied, reaching up to brush some dog hair off of his face. He watched with curiosity as Law sat back down where he was before. “What were you… why were you standing there?”

Law sipped his drink before he took another glance behind them. “There was this man, sort of… looming over you after you passed out,” he answered. “He was giving me the creeps.”

Ace blinked, and his face got a little warm once he had a moment to think about that. While the alcohol from earlier and his general grogginess probably weren’t helping the situation, he felt kind of floaty in the head, and he wasn’t sure what to think of it. “Oh, uh… thanks,” he said, his voice soft.

He didn’t remember finishing his drink, but the glass was empty nonetheless. He figured that that, combined with Daisy nudging at his leg with her nose, meant it was time to head back home. “I should probably get going,” he said. Before he could reach into his pocket to find his wallet, Law spoke up.

“Don’t worry about your tab,” he said. “It’s taken care of.”

Ace blinked a few times, frozen in place, before he managed a little smile. “Oh… thank you,” he said. He slid out of his seat and patted his thigh to signal for Daisy to follow after him. “Maybe I’ll, uh… see you around the hospital again?”

Law didn’t look back at him, just passed him a napkin over his shoulder. Ace furrowed his brow as he grabbed it, and a quick glance told him he’d been given a phone number.

“If you have more… questions,” Law muttered.

Ace nodded slowly as he pocketed the napkin, even though Law couldn’t see him. “Sure,” he said. “Thanks, man.”

* * *

When Ace left the bar, Law stuck around for quite a while longer. For the most part, he’d given up on sleeping at night, and had accepted a more nocturnal lifestyle. It only backfired when the hospital would call him in during the day, which happened far more often than he would have liked, but at least he was used to running on minimal sleep.

After a few drinks, he switched to water— which, to some, might defeat the purpose of sitting at a bar in the first place. But Law enjoyed people-watching, especially with the type of customers that hung around until closing time. That evening didn’t disappoint, as it seemed everyone who took the seats around him had some sorrows to spill to the bartender. Maybe it was cruel, finding entertainment in other people’s sob stories, but it was always a welcome distraction from Law’s own mind. It all seemed so trivial to him, but the bartender always managed to surprise him with her patience.

It was only when a scuffle broke out at half-past two that Law decided it was time to go home.

* * *

Ace and Luffy had a quaint little apartment, but neither of them seemed to mind the size. They were more than happy to have somewhere to call home, even with the thin walls and noisy neighbors. Things were surprisingly quiet when Ace walked in the door, and he could only assume Luffy had already turned in for the night. He’d started going to bed earlier than usual, and while Ace definitely took notice, he hadnʼt mentioned it.

Ace did, however, check in on Luffy. Every night, he’d poke his head in until he could see the rise and fall of the blankets while he breathed.

Satisfied with his brother’s well-being for the moment, Ace made his way further down the hall to his own room. He crouched down to help Daisy out of her harness, and she walked right over to her bed in the corner of the room. He knew she wouldn’t stay there for long, though, since she usually ended up spending the night in either Luffy’s bed or his own.

“Night, Daisy,” Ace said, and blew her a kiss from across the room. She didn’t really know what that meant, but she must’ve learned it was a positive gesture because she wagged her tail in response. Ace turned his lights off before he stripped down to his boxers, too tired to bother with pajamas. He flopped down onto his bed with a sigh of contentment. While using Daisy as a pillow was nice and all, he much preferred the comfort of his own bed.

The usual knock on his door at precisely 7:15 AM made Ace stir, and he lifted his head just in time to see Luffy standing in his doorway. “Morning,” Ace greeted before he let his head fall back down onto his pillow.

“Hi!” Luffy greeted with a wave, a big smile on his face. How could anyone be so chipper so early in the morning? “I’m off! I fed the Captain and everything. She’s napping in my room.”

“Mʼkay, thanks,” Ace said, smiling back despite how tired he was. “You got that lunch Sanji packed for you, right?”

Luffy blinked. “Oh, that was lunch? I ate it last night.”

Ace chuckled into his pillow. “S’fine, buddy. Just grab from the food funds.”

“Okay!” Luffy gave him another happy little wave. “See you later!”

Ace didn’t remember falling asleep again, but when he picked up his phone, the time read 11:36 AM. A bit earlier than usual, at least, and he didn’t feel quite as awful as he usually did when he woke up. He swung his legs off the side of the bed, and when his foot landed on the shorts he wore the previous night, he remembered something very important: _the phone number._

That was certainly enough to wake him up, and he reached down to search his pockets for the napkin. He’d crumpled it up so carelessly, what was he thinking? He smoothed it out on his lap as best he could, opened up a new contact on his phone, and…

It was completely illegible.

Ace picked up the napkin and squinted at the writing. He knew he wasn’t holding it upside down, because the four digits were at the end. He could sort of make out the area code, since it was easy enough to guess, but those three numbers didn’t seem to repeat at all. It may as well have been written in hieroglyphics.

That... was going to be a problem.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i experimented with some formatting in the form of text messages, not sure how i feel about it but it was cool to learn how to do it (i used [this tutorial](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6434845/chapters/14729722)). if you have any problems reading it, it may be because you have creator's styles disabled. just let me know if that doesn't fix it and i can fix the formatting myself!
> 
> also, if you didn't know, i made a series for one shots based in the same universe as this fic. just for little things that i didn't necessarily want to add to the fic, but wanted to share anyway. you can find that [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1793332)
> 
> ALSO, i can't believe i haven't said this before, but i wanted to give a big shout out to [@Bajillian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bajillian/pseuds/Bajillian) for being my beta reader and generally just putting up with my yelling on a regular basis. she's also recently started writing op stuff so you should check her out!
> 
> lastly, thanks for everyone who's been following this fic so far! this is my first multi-chapter one piece fic and i'm having a lot of fun with it. i just hit 10k words in my drafts which is a pretty big accomplishment for me. i also have chapter 5 written and chapter 6 outlined, so i'm hoping i can keep up with regular updates!

A 4-hour surgery was easy enough for Law. He’d dealt with far worse, far longer. But when the operation was _right_ at the end of an overnight shift, and was actually supposed to be about half as long, it wasn’t so pleasant. He was far grouchier than usual and had apparently made one of the interns cry— a fact he only learned after he left the OR, as one of the nurses immediately started scolding him for it. He argued that it wasn’t hisfault they didn’t know how to hold a clamp, but it _was_ his responsibility to make sure they learned how to do it. How was he supposed to do that if he kept quiet about their mistakes?

He really needed some breakfast.

He showered and changed into his street clothes before he walked next door to the cafe. Luckily, the initial morning rush had died out by the time he got there, so it was a short wait to order his coffee and pay for the fruit cup he’d picked out. His usual spot in the corner was taken, and once heʼd scanned the room for somewhere else to sit, he froze.

He spotted Ace resting his head on a table, using his arms as a makeshift pillow, a coffee cup beside him. The dog was sitting upright on the floor nearby, awake and alert.

Law considered his options. He could pick a table on the other side of the cafe and hope Ace didn’t wake up in time to see him. He could leave the building and eat in his car. _Or,_ he could do what his legs had already decided for him, and just walk over to sit beside Ace.

The dog watched him sit down, and continued to stare at him while he started eating. She wasn’t barking, at least, but she did seem to have some sort of problem with him sitting there. He had a feeling that if he reached out towards Ace, he’d end up losing a hand.

After only a few minutes, Ace lifted his head and yawned. He stretched his arms above his head before he reached over to pet the dog, who had finally taken her eyes off of Law in favor of gazing up at her owner. When Ace finally looked across the table and saw Law sitting there, he jumped. “Oh, hey there,” he said with a chuckle. ”Sorry, were we talking? I swear I was just restin’ my head. I didn’t mean to doze off on you.”

Law blinked. “Ah… no, you’re fine,” he said. “I didn’t even see you fall asleep. I just sat down a few minutes ago.”

“Oh, okay, cool,” Ace replied, much more relaxed now. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and his eyes went wide when he looked down at the screen. “Oh, shit, I was out for a while,” he said. “You got here a lot later than last time.”

Law shrugged. “My shift went long,” he said. He lifted his cup to his lips, but paused when he thought about what Ace had just said. “Were you… waiting here for me?” he asked.

“Oh, right!” Ace tapped around on his phone for a moment before he passed it over to Law. “I need your number, for real this time. I don’t know what the hell you wrote on that napkin, but I didn’t wanna risk texting the wrong number.”

Law sighed. Okay, he probably should have considered that. He didn’t exactly take his time when he wrote, so his handwriting had been the cause of many misunderstandings before. It wasn’t unusual for someone to ask him for clarification. “Right, sorry.” He picked up Ace’s phone and typed his number in before he slid it back across the table. “That should be much easier to read.”

“Hey, no worries,” Ace said as he tucked his phone back into his pocket. “Y’know, I just had to wake up, like, six hours earlier than usual so I could come here and track you down. No biggie.” He had a playful grin on his face as he spoke, but Law just rolled his eyes.

“Well, that was your own choice,” Law replied. At least, if anything, Ace had the sense not to show up at the hospital and go looking for him. “When did you get here, anyway?”

“Uh, a little after six,” Ace answered. “Must’ve been asleep for a while, ‘cause I definitelydon’t remember waiting two hours.”

Law raised an eyebrow. “Do sleep attacks usually last that long?” he asked. “I’ve only seen you go out for a few minutes at a time.”

“Oh, that wasn’t a sleep attack,” Ace said with a wave of his hand. “That was a nap. I’m no good in the mornings, and running on maybe two hours of sleep probably isn’t helping.” He paused. “Oh! Three, if you count just now. But I don’t have any classes today, so I’m gonna go home and sleep for real after this, probably.”

Law just nodded. For someone so tired, this guy sure did talk a lot.

“This little cutie didn’t give you any trouble, did she?” Ace asked, and Law looked down to see Ace scratching behind the dog’s ear. “She tends to get a little protective of me when I’m out like that.”

“Well, she was… certainly on guard,” Law replied. ”But she was just staring at me, as if I’d offended her by sitting here.”

Ace chuckled. “Oh yeah?” he asked. “I think she likes you. She gets attached pretty quickly, you know.”

Law raised his eyebrows as he looked back down at the dog, who was staring at him yet again. He decided not to tell Ace that he was more of a cat person.

“So, what times are you usually around to talk?” Ace asked. He lifted his cup, gave it a little shake, then took a sip. “I don’t wanna be bugging you when you’re working, or sleeping, or whatever.”

Law hesitated. He really didn’t like the idea of giving Ace the specifics of his schedule, but maybe he didn’t have to. He could be vague. “Well, my work schedule isn’t always consistent, but I work overnight shifts most often,” he said. “I sleep when I can. But if I’m in a situation where my phone will be a distraction, I won’t have any alerts on, so you don’t need to worry about that. I’ll just get back to you when I can.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” Ace said with a smile, and it only took about three seconds for Law to realize those last statements of his were probably a mistake. “But anyway, I should probably get going before I fall asleep on you again,” Ace continued, “Get some more sleep in my bed, you know?”

“Yes, you should definitely do that,” Law replied. Finishing his breakfast in peace sounded pretty nice. “Perhaps you can contact me directly next time you have something to say, instead of taking naps next door to my work.”

Ace chuckled. “Maybe! But the tables here are so comfy, how can I resist?”

* * *

Ace did not expect Luffy to be awake when he got home. Nor did he expect Luffy to be staring at him with his arms crossed like a disappointed parent.

“Uh… hey there,” Ace said as he knelt down to help Daisy out of her vest. “You’re up early for a weekend.”

“So are you,” Luffy countered. “Where have you been, mister?”

That tension hung in the room for all of two seconds before they both started laughing. Of course, they couldn’t keep that act up.

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Ace assured. He gave Daisy a pat on the head to let her know she was off-duty, and she immediately ran over to greet Luffy. “I meant to make a quick stop at the cafe, but ended up dozing off at one of the tables. Sorry I didn’t text you or anything, figured you’d be asleep.”

Luffy was momentarily distracted by the fluffy cloud of a dog in front of him, but gave Ace a confused look. “Why were you there so early?” he asked.

Ace wasn’t sure why he hesitated to answer, but he did. “Oh, uh, you know that heart surgeon guy I met while you were at your last appointment?” he asked. “I was meeting him there. He goes for coffee after his night shifts.”

Luffy blinked. “Oh. Okay,” he said with a shrug. “As long as you took the Captain with you, ‘cause it’s no fun when you fall asleep in public and people think you’re dead.”

Ace managed another laugh at that, and watched as Luffy walked off with Daisy following close behind. He really shouldn’t have worried about it, he realized, since Luffy wasn’t the type to ask many questions about things that didn’t concern him. For all he knew, Ace was just having a nice morning visit with his doctor friend— not making a desperate move after a hot guy he barely knew.

With a sigh, Ace flopped down onto the couch, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He decided to send a quick text to Law, something simple and friendly. Just so Law would have his number, of course. Not because he really wanted to keep talking to him or anything.

Law Trafalgar  
  
hey, ace here! it was nice seeing you today :)  
  
You left your wallet on your chair.  
  


Ace’s eyes went wide when he read the response, and he sat up to pat his pockets. Sure enough, his wallet was nowhere to be found. He felt like such a dumbass, and Law probably thought so, too— although, at least someone he knew found it, and not some random person who would steal it.

oh shit, thanks for catching that! are you still around? i can come grab it or you can stop by here if it’s not too much trouble.  
  
Yes, I was just heading out to my car. Just send me your address and I can come by in a few minutes.  
  


Ace had only a brief moment of panic before he was able to send Law his address and apartment number. He didn't have long to prepare, he realized— although, prepare for _what,_ exactly, he wasn’t sure. It was more than likely that Law wouldn’t even step into their apartment, but that didn’t stop him from overthinking it.

He absolutely did not remember closing his eyes, but when he opened them, Daisy was lying across his lap. He ran a hand through his messy hair as he looked around the room, then looked down at his phone for the time. He’d been out for… ten minutes, maybe? Which wasn’t too bad, but really meant he should probably catch up on his sleep—

“You should really be more careful about this stuff!” Luffy interrupted his thoughts. Ace looked up just in time to see him set his wallet down on the coffee table. “I met your doctor friend. He’s got some freaky tattoos.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bit of a shorter chapter here, but i've been working hard on the upcoming chapters!

Most of the time, when Ace came home from his classes, he went straight to his room for a nap. Luckily, he only had one class on Mondays, so those particular naps tended to be pretty short. After only twenty minutes, he woke up with a renewed sense of energy to make a snack for when Luffy got home from school. Ace wasn’t exactly skilled in the kitchen, but even a PB&J sandwich was something Luffy would appreciate.

He was just finishing up a second sandwich for himself when his phone rang from its place on the counter. His expression fell when he read Luffy’s name on the caller ID, and he was quick to wipe his hands off on his pants so that he could pick it up.

“Hey, what’s up?” he answered, forcing a smile in an attempt to make the concern in his voice less obvious.

“Hey, uh… I don’t think I can walk home today,” Luffy answered. “It’s cold, and my knees hurt.”

Ace let out a quiet sigh of relief. Of all the problems Luffy could have called him with, that was one of the least concerning. It had happened plenty of times before. “That’s okay,” Ace replied. “Do you need someone to come get you? I can see if Sanji’s free.”

“Yeah, thanks. I’m just sitting out front now.” Luffy paused. “Do you think he can bring food?”

Ace chuckled. “Let’s worry about getting you home first, okay?” he said as he headed for the apartment door. “Make sure you go inside if it gets too cold.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be there soon, buddy. Hang in there.”

Ace _just_ managed to catch Sanji at his apartment door— he was dressed in a nice button-up shirt and slacks, and was probably going to do something work-related, but Ace gave it a shot anyway.

“Sanji!” he called down the hall, and Sanji whipped around to face him. “Can you make a quick detour to the school and back? Luffy needs a ride home.”

Sanji pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time before he shrugged. “Sure, I can afford to be a few minutes late,” he decided.

As promised, Luffy was right in front of the school, sitting on a bench by the entrance. His friend Nami was with him, which, at a glance, made Ace smile. However, as they pulled up to the sidewalk, and he saw that Luffy was doubled over and clutching his chest, he jumped out of the car without a second thought. He ignored Sanji’s confused shouting behind him as he ran to the bench.

Luffy’s breathing was fast and shaky as he rubbed his chest, a fearful look on his face. Nami looked equally concerned, with a hand rubbing his back in an attempt to calm him down.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Ace asked in a gentle voice as he knelt down in front of Luffy. While he was certainly panicking on the inside, he wanted to keep up a calm appearance for Luffy’s sake. Luffy seemed a little too breathless to answer properly, so Ace looked to Nami. “Did something happen?”

“I just got out here,” Nami answered. “He said his heart was beating really fast. Has it gotten this bad before?”

Ace shook his head. Not to that degree, at least. Palpitations were normal in his condition, the doctor had explained, but it was always something that passed quickly. Ace had never seen him so panicked before.

“Hey, Luffy, do you think you could take a deep breath for me?” Ace asked. That was when Luffy lifted his head, and Ace’s own heart just about shattered at the sight of his brother crying.

“Am I gonna die?” Luffy asked, his voice just as unsteady as his breathing.

“Oh, no, no, you’re not gonna die,” Ace insisted, shaking his head. He had to swallow down the urge to start crying himself. “You’re gonna be okay. C’mere.” As gently as he could, he wrapped his arms around Luffy, holding him close to his chest. “Just try to breathe with me, okay?” he asked, and once Luffy nodded against him, he started taking deep breaths to demonstrate.

Once he managed to get a full, steady breath out of Luffy, he grabbed his phone out of his pocket. He dialed 911 before he handed the phone to Nami and nodded to the side. He didn’t want to scare Luffy, but he was kind of starting to freak out, and calling for help seemed like the best course of action.

“My chest hurts,” Luffy said, his voice muffled by Ace’s shirt.

“I know, buddy,” Ace replied, and started rubbing circles in Luffy’s back like Nami had been doing. “Just keep breathing, okay? I’m right here, and more help is on the way.”

As the minutes passed by, Luffy’s breathing did start to calm down, and he finally stopped shaking in Ace’s hold. He jumped when he heard the ambulance sirens approaching, but Ace was quick to reassure him.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it,” he said, “You’re doing really well now, it’s just a precaution. They’re just coming to check on you and see if you need any more help.”

When the paramedics arrived, Ace was somewhat reluctant to pull himself away from Luffy, but he knew he had to. Still, he followed them to the ambulance and held Luffy’s hand while they checked him over, giving him words of encouragement all the while.

Ace knew it was technically in his authority to decide whether or not Luffy actually went to the hospital, but he didn’t want to force the poor kid either way. Luffy seemed to have calmed down enough to have a conversation, so Ace left it up to him.

“I just wanna go home,” Luffy answered, so Ace thanked the paramedics and got them the hell out of there.

It wasn’t long before Sanji dropped them off back at the apartment. He was going to be much later to work than he’d meant to be, but he insisted he didn’t mind and the rest of the kitchen staff would understand.

The second they opened the door, Daisy was there to greet them. For the first time since the incident began, Luffy smiled, and sat right down on the floor to start petting her.

“She’s so happy to see you,” Ace said, grinning at the sight of them together. “I’m gonna call the doctor, okay? The sandwiches I made us are on the counter.”

Luffy perked up at the mention of food, and Ace had to stop him from making a mad dash to the kitchen.

As it turned out, the incident did _not_ mean Luffy was dying, much to Ace’s relief. The doctor still wanted to push Luffy’s next appointment to a sooner date, though, just to be sure he was alright. In the meantime, all Luffy had to do was take it easy (rather, easier than usual) and try not to exert himself.

Ace thought that maybe eating two sandwiches in the span of a three-minute phone call counted as a form of exertion, but he let Luffy off the hook anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah sorry for this

The next day, Ace decided it was time for him to take some initiative. He didn’t want Luffy walking to and from school, at least not for a while. Not after an incident like that. Luffy definitely had a few friends who’d be willing to drive him, but they couldn’t be as reliable as Ace himself. Ace was an adult, and he was solely responsible for his brother. What kind of responsible adult was he if he couldn’t even get the kid to school?

Maybe he hadn’t driven since he was 18 years old, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try.

Sanji let Ace borrow his car, likely out of pure pity. He’d promised to be careful, only take it to an empty parking lot for a quick trial run. If that went well, he’d consider taking some driving lessons again and work towards getting his own car. In theory, it was a flawless plan.

In _practice,_ not so much.

He managed to get from Sanji’s place to the parking lot easily enough, as it was all of 45 seconds down the road. He started off slow, not even with a foot on the gas, and was surprised to find that a lot of his experience in Driver’s Ed was coming back to him. He’d spent enough time playing chauffeur for Luffy in his teenage years that his muscle memory was also a big help.

After a half-hour or so, Ace decided to call it for the day. He was feeling pretty confident in his abilities, satisfied with the progress he’d made. All he had to do was take the 45-second drive back to Sanji’s place, and he’d be golden.

Unfortunately, that plan did not come to fruition, and what seemed like a straight shot through an empty intersection ended with another car driving straight into his side.

* * *

Law’s day wasn’t quite so eventful. It was a nice change of pace, really, considering he started in the morning after a pretty terrible night of sleep. Restless nights weren’t anything out of the ordinary for him, but he _was_ flipping his usual schedule, and he had a tendency to sleep less when he knew he’d have to be working the next morning.

The first few hours of his day consisted of mostly paperwork. Generally, it was one of his least favorite parts of the job, but he didn’t particularly mind it at the moment. While his tired brain had some trouble comprehending everything he read, he figured it was better than being responsible for a human life.

By the afternoon, he was much more alert, just in time for his first surgery of the day. It was a minimally invasive procedure that took all of two hours, everything went smoothly, and Law left the OR satisfied with his work.

It was only when he went to get a late lunch that his day started to go south.

The cafeteria was more crowded than usual, despite the fact that it was well after lunchtime. He had to wait in line for his coffee, so he grabbed his phone from his pocket in the hopes that it would discourage anyone who might try to make small talk with him. He frowned when he saw he had a missed call from Ace, about an hour prior. Ace had never called him before, only texted. Law figured it was either a mistake or something trivial, so he ignored it.

...Or it was an emergency.

With a resigned sigh, he let his concern get the best of him and called back.

“Hey there,” Ace answered after a single ring. He sounded a bit too chipper for it to be an emergency, and Law was already starting to regret calling back.

“Hello,” Law answered as he stepped forward in line. “You called?”

“I did. Are you at work today?” Ace asked. It really didn’t sound urgent.

Law was about ready to end the call, up until he heard some… familiar beeping in the background. “Where are you?” he asked.

“I asked you first,” Ace said.

Law rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m at work. I hear monitors, are you in the hospital?”

A moment of silence. Then, “Are you busy?”

Law decided it would be best to step out of the line at that point. “I’m at lunch,” he said. “Answer the question.”

Ace chuckled, and Law could have sworn he heard a groan at the end of it. “I’m in the ER,” Ace answered. “I’m fine, though, just a little accident. I just called to see if you were free and wanted to pay me a visit.”

Without really thinking about it, Law started making his way out of the cafeteria. His lunch could wait. “Have you been triaged yet?” he asked, “How long have you been there?”

“Oh, uh… I mean, I’m in a bed,” Ace replied. “They did an x-ray and stuff. I’m s’posed to stay overnight, so I think I’m just waiting for a room.”

“I’m on my way down there,” Law said before he hung up.

It didn’t take very long to find Ace in the ER, especially since the curtain around his bed was wide open, and Ace was waving to him from across the room. At a glance, he wasn’t in bad shape— he was sitting upright, at least. He had a splint on his knee, a bandage wrapped around his arm, and was holding an ice pack to his side.

“Hey, you made it,” Ace said with a smile far too big for someone in the emergency room. “I figured you’d be too busy saving people’s lives ‘n stuff.”

Law sighed as he walked over to Ace’s bed, pulling the curtain closed behind him. “What happened to you?” he asked.

“Oh, you should see the other guy,” Ace said with a grin, though Law’s unamused expression eventually got a real answer out of him. “Minor car accident. Totally not my fault.”

“Were you driving?” Law asked. “I don’t think I’ve even seen you in a car before.”

“Well, yeah, I usually walk,” Ace said. “I was practicing in a parking lot. And I was surprisingly good behind the wheel despite not driving in, like, three years. The universe just decided to punish me in the form of a guy who doesn’t know what a stop sign means. Which is kinda funny, ‘cause, like, you’d think the narcoleptic guy would be the one less aware of his surroundings, right?”

Law didn’t answer, choosing to ignore Ace’s commentary in favor of grabbing the clipboard that hung off the foot of the bed. Ace’s chart covered the details of a sprained knee, a laceration across his forearm, and bruised ribs. “And you said they’re keeping you overnight?” he asked.

“Yeah, for observation, or whatever,” Ace answered. He watched Law for a moment before he asked, “Are you allowed to look at that?”

Law glanced up from the chart to see Ace smirking at him. He didn’t like that. “I’m not reading through your personal information, I just want to know the extent of your injuries.” He paused, then raised an eyebrow at Ace. “Why, is there something you’re hiding?”

Ace chuckled, but the sound was quickly followed by a wince. “Fuck, that hurts,” he muttered. “There was a nurse who told me he’d get something for the pain, but it’s been, like, a half hour. Shouldn’t things go a little faster around here?”

Law raised his eyebrows as he set the chart back in place. “Well, you’re not dying, are you?” he asked.

Ace blinked. “I sure hope not,” he said.

“Then you don’t exactly have top priority here,” Law said. “Don’t worry, they’re not going to forget about you.” At the first beep of his pager, he reached into his pocket to grab it. “I have to go, I’ll check in with you later.”

“Oh, _now_ you’re busy,” Ace said, smiling once again.

Law was already walking away when he answered, “This is a hospital, it’s always busy.”

* * *

While Ace wasn’t too thrilled to be staying at the hospital overnight, at least the place wasn’t as bad as heʼd expected. He had a room to himself, and the nurses responsible for his care were friendly enough. The TV didn’t have too many channels, but he figured there were enough food-related shows to keep him entertained for the duration of his stay. Maybe he could even learn a thing or two.

Around dinnertime, Luffy and Nami stopped by to check in and bring him an overnight bag. They even dropped Daisy off, though that was more for Ace’s comfort than anything else. She sniffed her way around the room to familiarize herself with her surroundings before she hopped up to the foot of the bed. She was ready to watch over him for the night.

“Oh, yeah, I told Sanji about his car,” Luffy said, and Ace froze in place.

“You did?” he asked. “What, uh... what’d he say?

Luffy shrugged. “Not much,” he said. ”He told me to tell you to call him when you’re feeling up for it. He’s probably kinda worried.”

Ace let out a soft sigh. At least that sounded better than the unbridled rage he’d been expecting. Shortly after Luffy and Nami left the hospital, he decided to suck it up and call. He just wanted to get it over with.

“Hey, I was wondering when I’d hear from you,” Sanji answered after only a few rings.

“Hey, man,” Ace greeted, trying his best to conceal the nervousness in his voice.

“What’s the damage?”

“It’s really not that bad,” Ace assured rather quickly. “It’s mostly just the door. I got the guy’s number, the paramedics told me he was really apologetic about everything. The car’s already in for repairs, and, like, I’m not gonna pretend like I know shit about car insurance, but they said a lot of it’s probably covered ‘cause it wasn’t my fault.” He paused. “ _I’m_ fine, by the way. Thanks for asking.”

A sigh sounded from the other line. “Yes, I’m glad you’re okay,” Sanji said. “I can come by tomorrow morning if you’re still at the hospital, maybe bring you some breakfast. Does Luffy have a ride to school?”

“He’s got a friend picking him up, yeah,” Ace replied. He was ready to start giving Sanji some specific breakfast requests, but a light knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. “Oh, I gotta go, someone’s here. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Sure, take it easy.”

Ace couldn’t help but smile when he hung up, feeling hopeful with the promise of good food to start the next day. “Come in,” he called towards the door, and Daisy jumped down from the bed. Ace watched on with amusement as she stood on guard, as if she was ready to take on any threat that dared walk through that door.

“It’s okay, girlie,” Ace said, lifting a hand towards her even though he couldn’t reach out far enough to pet her. “S’probably just the nurse.”

It was not, however, which Ace realized the second he saw the unmistakable hand tattoos. Law _had_ mentioned checking in with him later, although Ace wasn’t sure he’d actually keep to that.

“Did someone bring her in here, or does she just track you down?” Law asked as he gestured towards Daisy, who was wagging her tail at the sight of him.

Ace smiled. “Luffy came by a little while ago,” he answered. “Are you my doctor now, or did you just track _me_ down?”

Law rolled his eyes. “My shift is over, I’m no one’s doctor until I’m needed again.” He closed the door behind him before he walked further into the room, and Daisy followed close behind him. “I came by to see how you’re doing.”

“Well, I’m doing just fine,” Ace replied. “I think the painkillers are starting to wear off, but having the Captain here is a pretty good substitute.” He looked down at Daisy, who was now sitting right at Law’s feet and staring up at him. “How was the, uh… whatever sent you rushing out of the ER earlier?” he asked.

“Fine, everything went smoothly,” Law answered as he looked down at Daisy’s big puppy dog eyes. “Does she see me as a threat or something?”

Ace giggled, and while the pain in his side wasn’t as bad as it had been earlier, it still made him wince. “I told you, she likes you,” he said. “You should pet her. She’s really soft.”

Law raised an eyebrow. “I thought petting service dogs was frowned upon?”

“Depends on the circumstances,” Ace said. “It’s not like she’s working right now, she’s just here for moral support. Also, she’s really needy, and I’m afraid if I start petting her, she’s gonna lay on top of me.”

Law let out a little laugh. “I don’t have much experience with dogs,” he said. “I’m not sure how they like to be pet.” Still, he reached down to give Daisy’s head a hesitant little pat, and she seemed pretty excited about that.

“She’s not super picky about where you pet her,” Ace said, “But she likes it when people scratch behind her ears.”

Law did just that, gently scratching behind one of Daisy’s fluffy ears. She wagged her tail in response, though she didn’t stay there for very long before she got down on the floor and rolled on her back to show her belly. Ace wasn’t really surprised that Law didn’t seem very willing to crouch down and pet her, but Daisy seemed content just laying there, so he didn’t comment on it.

“So, might I ask _why_ you were driving, if you’re so out of practice?” Law asked.

“Well, see, that’s the thing,” Ace said. “I wanted to get that practice in, get the hang of it again, in case Luffy needed a ride or somethin’. So my friend Sanji let me borrow his car, and I was mostly just driving around the parking lot, and I wasn’t falling asleep or anything, so I figured I was doing pretty well. ‘Course, then I had to get _out_ of the parking lot, and that’s when I got hit.”

Law frowned. “Is the reason you don’t drive related to your narcolepsy?” he asked.

Ace hesitated, just watching Daisy climb up onto the bed again. He’d been afraid of that question. “Well, _yeah,_ but I figured if I got back into the swing of things, and avoided driving when I was tired, I could—”

“Are you always noticeably tired when your sleep attacks hit?” Law interrupted.

Ace raised an eyebrow. He had to think about that for a second. “Well… not _always,_ but—”

“Then you shouldn’t be driving,” Law said. “I may not be _your_ doctor, but I am _a_ doctor, and I can tell you that wasn’t a smart move. You could have been seriously hurt.”

Ace blinked. “What are you— it wasn’t even my fault!” he argued.

“Yes, and you’re very lucky it wasn’t,” Law replied. “What do you think would happen if you fell asleep at the wheel? If your brother was in the car with you when it happened?”

Ace shook his head. He didn’t want to think about that. Luffy was at Nami’s house by then, he was perfectly safe, and he hadn’t been involved in the incident at all. “He _wasn’t,_ though. He was at school.”

“But you planned to drive him around, didn’t you?” Law asked. “I don’t know much about his specific case, but I can tell you that car accidents aren’t exactly _helpful_ to those with heart conditions. Something like that could _kill_ him, Ace.”

“I get it, just shut up!” Ace snapped, as all the tension building in his head came out at once. Law had shut up, alright, and was just staring at Ace, looking a bit startled. “I _know_ he’s sick. I know he’s vulnerable. But I don’t wanna _think_ about that! He wasn’t in the fuckin’ car with me, and I’m not gonna get behind the wheel again, so it’s not a problem, alright?”

A silence fell between them. The only sounds in the room were Ace’s heart monitor, and the blankets rustling as Daisy moved to lay by his side. Ace took a deep breath (to the best of his ability) as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm himself down.

“I’m sorry.” Law’s words were barely audible, but Ace heard them well enough. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at Law, even as the silence dragged on. Even as Law left the room and closed the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> early update this week! i wasn't feeling particularly motivated for a bit there but i've finally figured my shit out and have a general idea of where this is going. i very much appreciate all the lovely comments on this fic, and i'm so glad to hear you all like my self-indulgent writing 😅
> 
> enjoy!

Ace hated being awake in the morning. No matter how hard he’d tried to have a more ‘normal’ sleep schedule in the past, it seemed as though he was just hard-wired to sleep until noon. Therefore, being wide awake at 9 AM was a pretty terrible experience, made worse by the fact that he barely got any sleep to begin with. It was hard enough sleeping soundly in a hospital bed, but the constant beeping around him and the nurses checking in every few hours didn’t help in the slightest.

At least he had the promise of Sanji’s breakfast, which arrived around 10. It was some sort of sandwich, and Ace couldn’t quite identify exactly what was in it. He didn’t care, though, because it was big and meaty and delicious. He tore through it at what was probably an alarming rate, as the hospital’s breakfast portions weren’t nearly enough to satisfy him. Sanji didn’t mind, probably used to the behavior by now. He just scrolled through his phone while Ace ate, and only started up a conversation once his plate was clean.

“You know I don’t mind driving Luffy around, right?” he asked.

Ace wiped his mouth with a napkin before he looked up at Sanji for the first time since he’d seen the sandwich. “Yeah, I know that,” he said. “S’not your responsibility, though. You’ve got a job.”

“Yeah, and you have classes, as well as a sleep disorder,” Sanji said. “I may not _always_ be around, but I’m willing to help where I can. You shouldn’t have to risk your life just because your brother doesn’t have his license yet.”

Ace let out a huff— he was thankful the pain meds made breathing a little easier on his ribs, or else that would have hurt a whole lot more. “I know,” he mumbled.

“I care about you guys, I wanna do what I can.” Sanji offered him a smile. “Maybe after his surgery, once he’s recovered, I can try to start driving lessons with him again.”

Ace made a face. “Sure, if you’re willing to risk it,” he said. Luffy’s driving was almost as scary as his own. “S’your funeral,” he added, and Sanji laughed. Admittedly, it was nice to see someone happy. Everyone else who came by to check on Ace seemed so serious, and it was starting to get to him.

“I mean it, though,” Sanji said, “I’m here to help whenever you need it.” He reached over to pull the tray table away from Ace’s bed. “You should get some sleep, though. You’re slurring your words again.”

Ace rolled his eyes, but he didn’t have to be told twice. He was out before Sanji even left the room.

* * *

Law felt like an asshole, for a variety of reasons. 

For one, he definitely regretted what he’d said to Ace. He knew he had a tendency to be blunt when it came to medical matters, that wasn’t anything new. But he tried his best to be a bit more gentle with those he actually gave a shit about. He may have been reluctant to _admit_ that he gave a shit about Ace, but even _he_ knew he wouldn’t have reacted like that if he didn’t care.

Another reason he felt like an asshole, entirely unrelated, happened the following afternoon.

He didn’t exactly have a great track record with talking to patients. He handled them best when they were under anesthesia, and he preferred to keep actual, two-sided conversation with them to a minimum. But, whether he liked it or not, it was still part of his job. Not many people were comfortable going into surgery when they hadn’t even met the person who held their lives in their hands.

Of course, the pediatric patients were the worst of it.

Law was no good with kids. He didn’t know how to talk to them. Apparently, when an 8-year-old girl with an arrhythmia asked if she could die during surgery, her surgeon was _not_ supposed to respond by saying, “Yes, that’s always a possibility with anesthesia, and the heart is a vital organ. The average survival rate of this particular procedure is about eighty percent.”

If a surgeon were to say that sort of thing, that might cause the patient’s mother to get very angry with him, and subsequently report him to the head pediatric surgeon and get him kicked off the case.

Law thought kids asked too many questions. As he made his way out of the pediatric ward to find something to do with his newly-open schedule, the colorful decorations on the walls seemed to be mocking him.

* * *

Later in the day, Ace was more than happy to be discharged from the hospital. He had a life to get back to, homework to catch up on, and most importantly, a brother to look out for. The process was easier than expected— he just had to sign a couple things and look over the care instructions for his wounds. All that was left was to get home.

As he made his way through the lobby, Daisy attracted plenty of attention. She was definitely allowed to be there, Ace knew that much, but he supposed most people weren’t really used to seeing a big fluffy dog in the middle of a hospital.

One person in particular— a little girl in a hospital gown— seemed particularly interested. She was wearing a cannula connected to the oxygen tank her mother wheeled beside her, but she seemed energetic as ever as she pointed to Daisy. “Mum! Can I pet him?”

“Oh, sweetie, that dog is working right now,” the mother said, shaking her head. “See the vest? That’s a service dog.”

Ace caught the girl’s eye and offered her a smile before he walked Daisy over towards them. “Hey, it’s okay, you can pet her if you want,” he said. He instructed Daisy to sit, and crouched down right beside her. “Meet Captain Daisy. She’s really friendly.”

The little girl looked back at her mother, as if asking for permission, before she reached out to pet the top of Daisy’s head. “She’s soft,” she said with a grin, then looked up at Ace. “What’s a… servant dog?”

“A _service_ dog is a dog that’s trained to help someone,” Ace explained. “So, in my case, sometimes I fall asleep without meaning to, and that can be dangerous. It’s Daisy’s job to make sure I land somewhere safe, or to get help if I fall and get hurt. Sometimes I even use her as a pillow.”

The girl giggled. “That’s funny,” she said. “I bet she makes a really good pillow.”

“Oh, totally,” Ace replied with a smile. “Even when I fall asleep on purpose, sometimes I cuddle up to her anyway.”

The girl laughed again and, as if to test his statement, reached out to wrap her arms around Daisy. Daisy didn’t seem to mind that in the slightest, and just wagged her tail excitedly.

Ace watched on with a smile until the girl’s mother told her they had to leave. She left Daisy with one more hug, and while Daisy seemed a little disappointed to see the new person go, she soon turned her attention back to Ace.

“Alright, girlie, let’s get home,” Ace said, and gave her a little scratch on the top of her head before he turned towards the entrance.

However, he stopped in his tracks when he spotted a familiar doctor.

Law was sitting on a bench, still in his scrubs and his coat. He was staring right back at Ace, but after a moment, he looked away and shoved his hands into his pockets. Ace raised an eyebrow in confusion, but shrugged it off and went to sit down beside him.

“What are you still doing here?” Ace asked. “Or… did you leave and come back? I dunno how your schedule works.”

Law breathed out a sigh. “No, I’ve been here,” he answered. “To be honest, I was waiting for you.”

Ace blinked. “For me?”

“Yes. I… wanted to apologize. For what I said yesterday.”

Ace furrowed his brow. “You already apologized,” he said. “Right after you said it, if I remember—”

“Well, I wanted to apologize again,” Law interrupted. “That was inappropriate and uncalled for. You’re an adult, and it wasn’t right of me to go in there and scold you for an accident that wasn’t your fault.”

Ace shrugged. “I mean, I dunno, I think it was pretty… called for,” he said. Law finally looked up from where he’d been staring at the floor, and Ace smiled. “Sure, _technically,_ I’m an adult. But I sure as hell don’t feel like one most of the time. I still need someone to call me out on my bullshit every now and then. I did a stupid thing, and I paid the price for it. It’s fine.”

Law lowered his gaze again, but just ended up staring at Daisy, who had taken a seat directly in front of him. “What I said was harsh,” he said. “We barely know each other. You deserve an apology.”

“Well, _yeah,_ you bringing Luffy into it kinda hurt, but _I’m_ the one who blew up on you,” Ace said. “I’m really sorry about that. And… I mean, you’re right. I’m not doing any good for either of us by putting my own safety at risk.” He shrugged. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, okay? I’m not mad. Really.”

Law took a deep breath. He didnʼt say anything at first, just watching Daisy as her tail wagged back and forth. “Are you feeling any better?” he asked, “Physically?”

Ace nodded. “Definitely better than when I first got here, yeah,” he answered. “They sent me off with some meds for the pain. I just gotta take it easy for the next few weeks.”

Law hummed. “You should get home and rest, then,” he said. “Don’t let me keep you. Do you have a ride back?”

“Oh, it’s like, a ten-minute walk,” Ace said with a wave of his hand. “I’ll be fine.”

Law raised an eyebrow. “Something tells me your doctor wouldn’t agree with that,” he said. He seemed to think for a moment before he stood from the bench. “Let’s go.”

Ace was surprised to find that Law’s car was… decidedly average. He knew a surgeon’s salary was nothing to scoff at, so he just kind of assumed all of them had crazy expensive cars that they parked in some secret hospital parking garage. But, no, it was in the regular parking lot, parked so far in the back of the lot that Law insisted on picking Ace up at the hospital’s entrance.

Before he got into the car, Ace took his jacket off and laid it out across the backseat. “Don’t wanna get dog hair all over your seats,” he told Law, then helped Daisy climb up into the car. It probably wouldn’t be enough to contain the furball, but Law seemed to appreciate the gesture anyway.

The ride was quiet, aside from Ace pointing out his apartment building. As Law pulled into the parking lot, he yawned, and Ace frowned. “If you need somewhere to crash before you drive home, you’re welcome to come in,” he said. Then, with a little smirk on his face, he added, “Driving when you’re tired is dangerous, you know.”

“Yes, I’m aware,” Law replied dryly. “But I’ll be fine. Thank you for the offer.”

“Thank _you_ for driving me home,” Ace said with a wave before he climbed out of the car. “Maybe I’ll see you around the hospital again? I have to go get my stitches cut next week.”

Law nodded. “I doubt you’ll be anywhere near cardiology, but maybe we’ll cross paths,” he said. “Feel free to… reach out. If you need anything.”

Ace smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.

He made it inside the building without any trouble, but he realized his knee was starting to bother him as he walked over to the stairs. Law was probably right to drive him there, he thought as he went for the elevator instead.

Once he got into his apartment, he let Daisy off duty, hanging her vest up on its hook. He resisted the urge to launch himself onto the couch, and instead let himself down gently. He ordered some takeout to be delivered around dinner time, texted Luffy to let him know he was home, and dozed off right there. As much as he needed a shower, he was exhausted. 

Luffy woke him up with a finger poking his cheek, which happened far more often than he’d like it to. “I’m up, I’m up.” Ace swatted the hand away before he sat up and stretched his arms over his head. “Glad to see you got home okay,” he spoke through a yawn.

“Yeah, Sanji dropped me off a while ago,” Luffy replied. “I left some of the food for you.”

Ace looked down at the table, where one of the two pizzas he ordered was still present. He was almost impressed with Luffy’s self-control. “Thanks, buddy,” he said. He opened the box and grabbed a piece, eating right over the cardboard instead of bothering to grab a plate from the kitchen. “How was your day?”

“Pretty good,” Luffy said with a nod. “I miss gym. But there’s a kid who broke his arm so he can’t do much either, so we’ve been hanging out. He’s pretty cool.”

“That’s nice,” Ace replied, then paused to think about his words. “I mean. Not that the kid broke his arm, but that you’ve got a gym buddy.”

Luffy snickered. “Yeah, I get you,” he said. “Speaking of broken stuff, how’re you doing?”

“You callin’ me _broken?_ ” Ace asked. “I didn’t even break anything.”

“Whatever. Are you any better now?”

Ace rolled his eyes. “Yeah, the worst of it is my ribs, and they said those would take at least a few weeks to heal. But my leg’s getting better, and my arm should be healed up within a week or so.”

Luffy nodded, and he didn’t break eye contact as he reached down to grab another slice of pizza from the box. Ace rolled his eyes, but didn’t bother stopping him, and just reached for another piece of his own.

“Also, you know that… heart surgeon guy?” Ace asked. “The one who brought my wallet over on Saturday?”

Luffy grinned. “Oh, yeah, Traffy?” he asked before taking a huge bite out of his pizza. “He seems really cool,” he added, his mouth full.

“Yeah, he’s pretty cool,” Ace agreed. “I was wondering, would you mind seeing more of him around? If we were to hang out and stuff?”

Luffy took another bite. “Why, do you like him?” he asked.

Ace’s eyes widened, and he hated the way his face heated up at the mere suggestion. Though, it took him all of three seconds to realize this was Luffy he was talking to, and he probably didn’t mean it like that. Not that it was on Ace’s mind or anything. Sure, Law was objectively handsome, and Ace had been hitting on him when they first met, but he didn’t think he’d get _that_ far with it. “We’re… friends, I think,” Ace finally replied. “He seems like a really nice guy.”

“Good.” Luffy nodded. “I like him, too.” He kept chewing until a look of realization crossed his face. “You think _he_ could do my surgery?”

Ace chuckled. While he’d wondered the same thing not too long ago, the question still took him off guard. “I don’t think doctors are supposed to treat people they know, Lu.”

“Damn. But he looks so cool! He’s _gotta_ be good at surgery.” Luffy grinned. “You think he’d let me keep my old heart when I get a new one?”

* * *

Ace  
  
hey so does luffy get to keep his heart after the transplant?  
  
What?  
  
what happens after they take it out? like can he take it home and keep it in a jar or something??  
  
he wanted to know.  
  
No. It will most likely go to a lab to be examined, and the results will be added to his medical records.  
  
aw man that’s no fun  
  
totally unrelated but are you busy tomorrow?  


With an exasperated sigh, Law tucked his phone back into his pocket. Ace had sent the last text hours ago, and Law only had just gotten a chance to look at it. He figured Ace would be asleep at that point, so there was no sense in replying now.

“Somethin’ wrong?”

Law glanced up at the man sitting across the table. Shachi was nice to be around in the late hours because he didn’t talk much, not unless it was necessary.

Apparently, their current meal was an exception.

“It’s nothing important,” Law answered with a shrug. “I have… an acquaintance, and he’s asking me nonsense medical questions.”

“An acquaintance?” Shachi echoed, his eyebrows raised. “You haven’t had one of _those_ in a while. Who is he?”

Law sighed. This sure was starting to sound like the needless discussion they’d agreed to avoid. “He lives near the hospital, so we’ve seen each other a few times,” he replied. “His brother is waiting on a transplant. I’ve been answering his questions about it.”

“Huh. That’s awfully kind of you, Law.” Shachi smirked. “Could it be that you’re… makin’ a new friend?”

“Shut up,” Law muttered, and promptly directed his attention back to his food.


	8. Chapter 8

While Law drove to the restaurant Ace had specified, he couldn’t help but wonder why he’d agreed to go. It was one of the few times he had the day to sleep, he wasn’t on call, and he didn’t have any other commitments. But for whatever reason, he thought it would be a good idea to spend that time with a man he still barely knew.

It was a quaint little diner, one he’d walked by many times but had never actually gone into. The style was very retro, right down to the staff uniforms that looked like they’d come straight from the 50s. Ace was already waiting for him at a booth, and waved him over with a big grin on his face. Law took the seat across from him, and tried not to pay any mind to the dog staring at him from her spot on the floor.

“Hey, I’m kinda surprised you actually made it over here,” Ace said. “You didn’t seem too excited over text.”

Before Law could ask how exactly he was supposed to translate excitement through text, their server came by for their drink orders. “Ah, just coffee, please,” he said when prompted. He knew taking a nap in the morning was a bad idea, but he’d done it anyway, and he was paying the price. Caffeine would do him well.

“Me too,” Ace said, giving the server that goofy grin that seemed to be his default expression. “But make mine decaf, please.”

Law gave Ace a questioning look. He couldn’t begin to understand why someone would drink decaf coffee. It wasn’t exactly his favorite drink in the first place, what was the point if not for the caffeine? He wasn’t about to interrogate the guy who’d invited him out for lunch, though, so he just kept quiet and started looking over his menu.

“So, how’s work going?” Ace asked, “Save any more lives lately?”

Law glanced up from his menu for only a moment before he lowered his gaze again. “Well, my last procedure involved implanting a pacemaker, so only time will tell,” he replied. “Though, I don’t tend to do follow-ups with my patients unless there’s a problem, so I won’t know for sure. If they don’t come back for another operation, and there’s no lawsuit against me, I can safely assume I’ve done my job correctly.”

Ace blinked. “Oh, uh... yeah. I guess that’s fair.” He went quiet after that, and Law realized maybe that wasn’t the best answer. 

Luckily, the server returned with their drinks and broke the silence. For their meals, Law ordered a chicken salad as a reasonable lunch option, while Ace ordered some elaborate pancake dish that sounded like it could easily make someone sick.

The server left the table, and with no menu to hide behind, Law figured it was time to attempt some more conversation. “So… how’s school?” he asked. Probably something Ace heard quite a lot, but a conversation starter nonetheless.

Ace, who was adding his third sugar packet to his cup, looked up at Law with a smile. “Oh, pretty good,” he said. “Everyone’s supposed to start on this big documentary project soon, but I’m kinda struggling to figure out a topic. I’ve never really made anything longer than, like, ten minutes before.”

“Oh?” Law asked, “How long does it have to be?”

“Between, like, 45 minutes and an hour, I think?” Ace answered. “I have to use certain types of equipment and stuff, but other than that, it’s all pretty much up to me. I’m just… not sure what to make it about.”

Law hummed. “Well… what do you like?” he asked. “Or, rather, what are you interested in that you’d like to learn more about? You might have a better time if you’re learning new information, as opposed to hearing things you already know.”

Ace nodded slowly. “I… hadn’t really considered that,” he said. “But I’ll think about it.”

The rest of their time at dinner was… unexpectedly pleasant. Ace did most of the talking, telling Law about his classes and how he wanted to make his own feature-length film someday. It took some convincing, but Law told some gross medical stories he’d heard from his colleagues in the ER. It was the first time in a while Law felt like he could just have a friendly chat with someone without discussing his patients or the work he had to do.

When they got their bill, Law took it upon himself to pay, though Ace insisted on covering the tip. They both left the restaurant in a good mood, but once they made it outside, Ace looked up at the sky and let out a sigh. “It’s gonna rain,” he said.

While Law wasn’t any sort of weather expert, one glance up at the dark clouds made him nod in agreement. “Looks like it,” he said. “How are you getting home?”

Ace grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, Iʼd really appreciate a ride if you’ve got the time,” he said. “The Captain hates getting wet. It takes forever for her to dry off.”

As much as Law wanted to go home and take another nap, it seemed awfully cruel to leave Ace out in the rain, so he found himself nodding in response. “Sure,” he said, and gestured towards where he’d parked his car.

Ace laid his jacket out across the backseat for Daisy again, and while Law recalled all the fur he had to clean up after only a short ride, he did appreciate the gesture. It was only when Ace climbed into the seat next to him that he started the car. “You call her… ‘the Captain,’” he said, “Is that her formal title?”

Ace grinned. “Oh, yeah, the Captain is a highly-respected individual,” he said. “Luffy insisted on it when I first got her. I tend to use it more when I’m talking _about_ her, not _to_ her, but I think she’s figured it out by now.”

Sure enough, Law could see the dog sitting upright in the rearview mirror, as if awaiting instructions. “I see,” he replied. He went quiet as he backed out of his parking space, hesitating, not quite sure if he should ask the question on his mind. “How’s your brother doing, by the way?” There it was. “He seemed very… energetic when I first met him.”

Ace let out a chuckle. “Right, I forgot about that,” he said. “Yeah, yeah, he’s usually pretty hyper. But… I dunno. Not so much lately.”

Law frowned. At a quick glance, he noticed Ace’s usual smile was gone. “No?” Law asked. A simple inquiry that left the conversation open, whether or not Ace wanted to give more details.

“Nah,” Ace replied, faster than Law had expected. “The day before I was in the hospital, I went with our friend to pick him up from school,” he explained, “And when we got there, he was… he said his heart was beating really fast, and he was all panicky. I called an ambulance, but he’d pretty much calmed down by the time they got there.” He paused. “It was… kinda scary, if I’m bein’ honest.”

Law nodded slowly. Years of experience with patients meant he knew how to keep a neutral expression when needed, though he wasn’t sure what the proper reaction was here. Ace wasn’t his patient, nor a relative of his patient. He was… what? A friend?

Ah, now wasn’t the time to worry about that. “What did his doctor say?” Law asked.

“He has an appointment tomorrow,” Ace said. “They just said he should take it easy for a while, stay calm about the whole thing.” He looked out the window when the rain started pouring down. “But… I dunno. How’s he supposed to stay calm when something like that could happen again at any moment?”

Law hummed in thought. Was Ace looking for professional advice? Reassurance? Both? “Well, the problem with tachycardia as a symptom is that the more you worry about it, the worse it will feel,” Law said. He could see Ace’s blank expression out of the corner of his eye, so he elaborated. “A fast heartbeat. It’s also a symptom of anxiety. ‘Taking it easy,’ so to speak, will keep him from exerting himself, and having a distraction will hopefully lessen the anxiety.”

Ace sighed. “Yeah, that makes sense,” he said. “I’ll see if I can think of something to do with him that doesn’t require a lot of… movement.”

While the inside of the car was silent as Law pulled into the parking lot, the outside was not. The rain was pouring down so hard, it was becoming difficult to see. Law kept his windshield wipers up even as he managed to park, watching as a group of people ran into the building to find shelter.

“This probably won’t last very long,” Law said, the first to break the silence between them. “You can stay here until it passes, if you’d like.”

“Thank you,” Ace said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He turned around to check on Daisy, who looked happy as ever despite the downpour outside. The same couldn’t be said for Ace, whose miserable aura seemed to match the weather perfectly.

“This may be… too personal of a question,” Law began. When Ace turned to face him, he almost lost his nerve, but pushed forward regardless. “So, don’t feel like you have to answer if you don’t want to. But… are your parents involved in this at all?”

Ace grimaced, but he looked down at his hands in his lap before Law could get a good look at his face. “Nah, it’s just the two of us,” he said. “S’been that way for a long time.”

Law nodded slowly. He was, admittedly, curious about Ace’s life. About what could have happened to leave them on their own. But it seemed wrong to ask for that information unless it was offered to him, so he settled on a question more focused on the present: “Are you managing alright on your own?”

Ace had to think about that one. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, hugging his torso. “Most of the time,” he answered. “He’s a pretty self-sufficient kid, all things considered. But when it comes to his medical stuff, I really have to… step up and be the adult of the household.” He paused, shifted in his seat, and lowered his head slightly. His voice was much quieter when he spoke again, as if he didn’t want Law to hear. “I’m… technically his father, you know. Like, from a legal standpoint.”

Law’s expression shifted from concern to confusion. Had he heard that correctly? “How is that… possible?” he asked.

Ace shrugged. “We’re not blood-related. He only has my last name ‘cause he wanted to take it. He couldn’t leave foster care with me right away ‘cause he was only thirteen at the time, so I had to go through the whole adoption process. I had to get a job and stuff to get approved, but we get a stipend ‘cause he’s still technically a foster kid, so we can afford the basics.”

After a moment of thought, Law nodded. It made more sense that way, even if he didn’t understand much about the foster care system. “You call him your brother,” he said. “I’m assuming not many people are aware of your situation?”

Ace nodded. “Yeah, I mean… people see a 16-year-old with a guardian five years older than him, they’re gonna assume they’re siblings, anyway, so we just go with that. It only really comes up when I’m dealing with his doctors and school stuff.” He shrugged. “I don’t really… talk about it. I think you’re the first person I’ve told directly.”

Law only turned to look out the windshield when he realized he’d been staring at Ace. That was a lot of information to take in, especially about someone he initially thought was just a careless dumbass. Somehow, he hadn’t noticed the rain had cleared up at some point in their conversation.

“Anyway, I should get going,” Ace said as he pushed the car door open. “Gotta go check on him and all.” He opened the back door to let Daisy out, who seemed eager to return to his side. Before he left, however, he stood with the passenger door open. “Thanks for coming out with me,” he said, “And for… hearing me out.”

Before Law could even think about it, he said something he never expected to say.

“Of course. Anytime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't know much of anything about the foster care system (and had a hard time finding anything about this specific situation) so this may not be entirely accurate? but i really like the idea of ace taking luffy along with him when he aged out of the system, and that's certainly one way to do it.
> 
> thank you again for all your comments and feedback on previous chapters, i love hearing from you 💕


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh i wasn't sure if i was gonna be able to keep up with weekly updates when i first started this but here we are.
> 
> i'd like to add another shoutout to my beta reader Bajillian who has [recently contributed to the ace/law tag](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1840573) 👀

Ace rarely slept through his alarm. Sure, he was a deep sleeper, but his body was usually pretty good at realizing when he _needed_ to be awake. Though, somehow, that particular afternoon, he slept right through the first alarm. Then the second. And the third. Strangely enough, what finally woke him up was the sound of his phone buzzing on his nightstand.

He groaned as he rolled over, groping around blindly until he grabbed it. He was reasonably surprised by the time, but quickly found himself distracted by the notification that woke him up in the first place.

Law Trafalgar  
  
Hello. Would you be able to do me a favor?  
  
sure! what’s up?  
  
I’ve been sent home from work and I can’t drive at the moment. I was wondering if it would be alright for me to rest at your place before I go home?  
  
yeah totally! our couch is super comfy.  
  
are you good to walk over here on your own? i can meet you there if you want.  
  
I’ll be fine, thank you.  
  
okay! just come on over and i can buzz you in  
  


* * *

Law was pretty averse to the idea of asking for help, especially someone he didn’t know all too well. Unfortunately, his options were pretty limited— he hated taxis, all three of his friends were currently working, and it was far too long of a walk to his own house. At least Ace had made the offer before; if he hadn’t, Law was sure he would’ve just hidden away to rest in one of the on-call rooms instead.

He managed to shower and change into something other than scrubs before he left the hospital, as he didn’t want to attract any attention on his walk. The air was surprisingly cool for the afternoon, but he simply pulled his coat tighter around himself and pressed on.

He triple-checked Ace’s address on his phone before he made his way to the front door of the building. Sure, he’d driven over there before, but he’d much rather make sure than show up at a random apartment building. He stepped into the entryway, relieved to be away from the wind, and searched the number pad on the wall. Once he found the button that corresponded with Ace’s apartment, Ace’s cheery voice greeted him over the intercom.

“Hey, Law?”

“Yes,” Law answered. “Hello.”

“Sweet, one sec.” A brief buzzing sound. Then, “Come right up!”

After a short elevator ride, Law made it up to Ace’s apartment and knocked on the door. He waited a few seconds before Ace opened the door with a warm smile on his face.

“Good morning,” Ace said as he stepped inside to let Law in. “Or… afternoon, I guess. Rough day?”

“You could say that,” Law muttered as he stepped inside. “Thank you for letting me stop by. I shouldn’t be too long.”

Ace gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, “Stay as long as you need to. I’ve got classes later, but Luffy’s gonna be home in a little while, so he’ll be around. I can tell him you might be sleeping.”

Law raised an eyebrow. Based on a single interaction with Ace’s brother, he could already tell his presence wouldn’t be conducive to sleep. But before he could protest, Ace was leading him towards the couch. There was a pillow there, as well as two blankets folded on top of each other.

“Want some lunch?” Ace asked, nodding towards the kitchen.” I made bacon and eggs. It’s probably a little breakfast-y for you right now, but I have a couple portions.”

“I’ll be fine, but thank you,” Law answered as he pulled off his coat and took a seat on the couch. He’d already had enough people fussing over him, making sure he ate something before he stepped foot outside the building. He didn’t need more of that.

“Well, just let me know if you need anything,” Ace said before he stepped into the kitchen. He came back soon enough, a plate of food in hand and a piece of bacon hanging from his mouth. While he chewed, he asked, “Why’d they send you home, anyway? I didn’t know they could do that.”

Law breathed out a sigh. He’d been afraid of that question. Perhaps if he hadn’t been so tired, he would have been more careful about the wording of his texts. “Yes, well, there’s a limit to how many hours a doctor can work in a week,” he answered. “Though, in this case, I left because I fainted in the middle of the hallway.”

Ace nearly choked on his food, apparently quite surprised by Law’s answer. Once he managed to clear his throat, he asked, “Shit, are you alright?”

“Fine,” Law answered with a nod. “Just overtired. A little dehydrated, maybe.”

Before Law could regret his words once again, Ace was setting his plate down and heading back into the kitchen. “Lemme get you some water, then, jeez.”

Law breathed out a sigh, and while he waited for Ace to come back, he pulled out his phone. He had to see if one of his neighbors would be around to check on his cat, as he had a feeling Ace wouldn’t let him leave as early as he’d planned.

He hadn’t really been expecting to fall asleep, despite Ace’s insistence that it would be okay. But some time later, after Ace turned the lights in the living room off and headed back into the kitchen to work on homework, Law found himself drifting off.

Heʼd gotten used to waking up in places that weren’t his own bed, but someone else’s couch was definitely a new one. It didn’t take him very long to recall the events that got him there, though a quick glance at his phone for the time surprised him.

He’d been asleep for nearly five hours.

He ran a hand through his hair as he looked around the room. Sure, he was a little disoriented, but at least he got some sleep. Some _uninterrupted_ sleep at that, which was pretty rare for him. There was a blanket over his shoulders that he definitely hadn’t placed himself, but he tried not to dwell on that too much.

“Oh, hey, you’re up!”

Law jumped, whipping his head around to find the source of the sound. It took his brain a second to identify the figure standing in the kitchen doorway, but he eventually recognized him as Luffy.

Right. Ace had mentioned his brother.

“Ace told me you were here, but he didn’t say you’d be asleep for that long,” Luffy continued. “Don’t you sleep at night, Traffy?”

Law grimaced at the nickname. “Just ‘Law’ is fine,” he insisted. “And, no, I usually work at night. I get most of my sleep during the day.”

“Oh, so you’re like a raccoon!” Luffy said, “You’re nocturnal!”

Law sighed. “Sure, if that’s how you’d like to put it.”

“I guess it makes sense that some doctors work at night, ’cause it’s not like people can plan out when they get sick,” Luffy continued. “You don’t just call 911 and not get a response ’cause everyone’s sleeping, right?”

Law just nodded slowly, and decided not to bother explaining that Luffy was talking about a very different type of job. How was he _more_ talkative than Ace?

“But anyway, there’s food in the kitchen if you want some,” Luffy said, pointing behind him. “Ace always orders something if he’s gonna be in class around dinner time.”

Law shook his head. “Thank you, but I have leftovers at home,” he said as he stood from the couch. “I should really get going.”

Luffy shrugged. “Suit yourself!” he said before he turned and walked back into the kitchen.

With that, Law got ready to leave. He carefully folded the blanket that had been draped over him, and straightened out the cushion he’d fallen asleep on. He grabbed his phone and dropped it into his jacket pocket; He knew he should text Ace to thank him for his hospitality, but that could wait until he wasn’t in class.

He was just about to step into the kitchen to tell Luffy he was leaving, but it seemed Luffy was already heading out of the room. He stopped in the doorway when he saw the boy staring at him, eyes wide.

Law furrowed his brow. “What?” he asked. Had he done something wrong?

Luffy just gulped, and slowly raised a hand to his chest. “H… help.”

Law dropped his jacket in favor of putting his hands on Luffy’s shoulders and ushering him to sit down on the couch. He crouched down in front of Luffy before he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Luffy breathed in slowly. “My… heart’s beating really fast.”

Law frowned. He recalled Ace mentioning a similar incident not too long ago, so at the very least, it was something Luffy had already experienced. “Has it felt like this before?” he asked.

Luffy nodded, and Law tried to ignore the tears forming in the boy’s eyes. He distracted himself by taking Luffy’s wrist and holding two fingers to his pulse. It was steady, at least, which was a good sign. “Are you in pain?” he asked.

Luffy took another deep breath, a little shakier than the last. “Kinda.”

“Okay,” Law said with a little nod. “Keep taking deep breaths like that. If you’re able to relax, your heartbeat should calm down as well.”

Another slow, careful exhale as Luffy wiped a tear from his cheek. “You’re not gonna call an ambulance, right?” he asked.

Law raised an eyebrow. He’d expected Luffy to _want_ more qualified help. But, then again, loud sirens and attention from strangers probably wouldn’t be the best thing for him in such a stressful situation. “Not unless you think you need it,” he replied. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to put a 16-year-old’s medical care in his own hands, but he wasn’t about to force the kid. “Do _you_ think you need to go to the hospital?”

Of all the possible responses, Luffy grinned. “Aren’t you supposed to be the heart guy?” he asked, his voice still a bit shaky.

Law crossed his arms. “I’m a surgeon, not a paramedic,” he said, “So unless you’d like me to cut you open, this isn’t my area of expertise.” It immediately crossed his mind that that probably wasn’t a good thing to say to someone who was already anxious, but it was too late. Luffy was already…

_Laughing?_

“I don’t think you’re s’posed to threaten sick people, Traffy,” Luffy said. “You must be a really good surgeon if you still have a job.”

Law just rolled his eyes as he reached out to check Luffy’s pulse again. It had actually slowed down, somehow, along with his breathing. All it took was a _laugh?_ “How are you feeling now?” Law asked, eyeing him carefully.

Luffy seemed to think about that for a moment before he shrugged. “I’m okay, I think,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Law nodded. Strange, but he wasn’t about to complain. At least Luffy was okay. “You should tell your doctor it happened again,” he said. “It’s good to keep track of these things.”

Just as he finished his sentence, the apartment door opened. He turned around to see Ace with a backpack slung over his shoulder and Daisy by his side, looking awfully confused at the sight of them.

“Uh… hi there,” Ace said.

“Hey, Ace!” Luffy greeted with a wave. “I was right about Traffy, he’s a good doctor! He just helped me with my chest pain!”

Ace’s confused expression quickly turned into one of concern. “What? Are you okay?” he asked, then looked to Law. “Is he okay?”

Law stood up straight again, grabbing his jacket along the way. “He seems fine to me,” he said, and Luffy nodded in agreement. “But, you should call his doctor if you have any concerns.”

“Right, of course,” Ace replied. He set his backpack down by the door before he asked, “Are you… headed out? You can stay for dinner, if you want.” At the reminder of food in the kitchen, Luffy got up and rushed back in there.

Law shook his head as he put on his jacket. “I should get home, get some more rest before I go back to work,” he said. “Thank you for the offer.”

“No worries, man,” Ace said with a smile. “If you ever need somewhere close to work to crash, just let me know. You’re always welcome to stop by again.” He knelt down beside Daisy to start undoing the buckles on her vest. “And… don’t work yourself so hard, okay? I know you’ve got an important job and all, but you still deserve a break every now and then.”

Ace wouldn’t have seen it, but Law left the apartment with just a hint of a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i usually write about two chapters ahead before i post, and boy do we have some Things coming up soon.


	10. Chapter 10

Ace  
  
hey you know that documentary project i was telling you about?   
  
i was thinking about covering something at the hospital. i'm not sure what yet but i figure since i spend enough time there i might as well learn something.  
  
maybe i could interview some of the staff??  
  
You'd have to get permission to film in the hospital and be very conscious of patient privacy, but I don't see why not. I can think of a few of my colleagues who would probably be willing to be on camera.   
  
what about you? 👀   
  
No.  
  
:( why not? don't you wanna see yourself on the big screen?   
  
I'd really rather not.   
  


* * *

Law was no stranger to being awake at 2 AM. That was usually the middle of his workday, after all, and he stayed up just as late on his nights off. Though, the one time he was actually _trying_ to get to sleep at a decent time, he awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. His first instinct was to ignore the call and go back to sleep— because, really, what could be so important? But after a few more rings, his curiosity got the best of him, and he picked up his phone to check the caller ID.

Ace.

Without a second thought, Law sat up in his bed and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Law?” Ace’s voice was quieter than usual, and even in a single syllable, Law could hear it wavering.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Law answered, his own voice soft. The last thing he wanted to hear about was another car accident. “Are you okay?”

Ace took a slow, shaky breath before he asked, “Are you at the hospital right now?”

Law frowned. “No, I’m at home,” he answered, though he was already swinging his legs over the side of his bed to get up. “Why?”

There was a moment of silence. Ace was hesitating. “I’m sorry, I... I know It’s late, and I shouldn’t be bothering you, but you’re the only person I know who’d be up right now, and—“

_“Ace,”_ Law cut him off. “What _is_ it?”

Another shaky inhale. Then, “It’s Luffy.”

* * *

Everything seemed to have happened so quickly.

One moment, Luffy was waking him up, complaining of chest pains again. The next, he was unconscious, and an ambulance was speeding down their street. Ace wouldn’t have even remembered to bring Daisy along had she not been by his side the whole time, ready to help in any way she could.

The ER was awfully crowded, but Luffy didn’t have to wait before a group of nurses took him away. Part of Ace was relieved to see him taken care of so quickly, but another part of him knew that wasn’t a good sign. He’d insisted on following the nurses, though it wasn’t long before one of them ushered him out of the room.

That’s how he’d found himself in his current situation, crying into Daisy’s fur.

He’d sat down on a bench outside the entrance of the emergency room, with Daisy draped across his lap. Though his sobbing had calmed down somewhat, he still had his face buried in her side while he tried to compose himself. Dog fur didn’t make it any easier to breathe, but her presence alone had a calming effect on him, so he didn’t mind.

He didn’t care that it was freezing outside, either. He didn’t care that he hadn’t gotten dressed before he left, and he was only wearing pajama pants and a thin t-shirt. Nothing mattered other than the fact that he finally had some peace and quiet. He couldn’t stand to be in that building anymore, not like _that._

“Ace?”

He barely registered the sound, too caught up in his panicked thoughts. Though, he did feel a presence in front of him, and that was enough to get him to look up. He didn’t know who else he’d been expecting to see there, but he was still surprised to see Law staring down at him.

“Hey,” Law said, hands stuffed into his pockets. He looked nice and warm, in a long coat with a hood lined with fur. At least one of them was dressed for the weather. “What are you doing out here?”

Ace sighed as he rested his chin on top of Daisy’s head. “I... I couldn’t sit in there anymore,” he mumbled. “It’s too much.”

Law hummed. Ace couldn’t see his expression, as he was too busy staring down at the ground, but he saw Law take the seat beside him. “How’s Luffy?” he asked.

“...I don’t know,” Ace admitted. “H-he was... they rushed him in there, and then... there was all this fast beeping from the monitors? N’then a bunch of doctors crowded around him, and they threw me out.” He hid his face against Daisy’s fur again, so his next words were muffled. “I couldn’t even stand to be in the waiting room. I feel like such a fuckin’ coward.”

“I don’t think you’re a coward.”

Slowly, Ace lifted his head to look at Law properly. “You don’t?”

“Of course not,” Law answered. “I mean... _yes,_ I do think you should be in the waiting room, because the doctors are going to want to refer to a family member for his care. Also, in general, I don’t think running away from your problems is a good idea.” He paused. “But I can also understand why you left. It’s a lot nicer out here than it is in there.”

Ace sighed, pressing his cheek to the side of Daisy’s head. “What do they need me for?” he asked. “Not like I can save his life.”

Law shrugged. “Maybe not directly, no,” he said. “But you _are_ legally responsible for his medical care. They’ll be looking for your consent before they perform any big procedures. Your presence is important.”

Ace glanced back towards the entrance of the ER. At some point, he’d started shaking, but he couldn’t tell if it was from the cold weather or just his anxiety. “I… I don’t think I can go back in there,” he admitted. The mere idea of returning to the situation, the possibility of facing a dead brother, was a little too much for him to handle.

A long moment of silence sat between them, during which Ace decided to hide his face in Daisy’s fur again. He thought Law was just waiting for him to suck it up and go back into the hospital, so he was more than a little surprised when the man spoke up.

“Would you like me to go in there and check on him?”

Ace didn’t have to think about that; he just nodded in response. He heard Law get up from the bench, and heard his footsteps as he walked away. But then, the footsteps grew closer again, and Ace felt something drape over him.

Law’s coat hung around his shoulders. It was still warm from his body heat.

Ace wasn’t sure how long Law was gone, but he’d dozed off at some point during the wait. He woke up rather suddenly to his shoulder being shaken. “Mm?” He blinked, looking around, taking in his surroundings. It didn’t take very long for him to recall where he was, and when he realized Law was standing in front of him with a clipboard and pen, he sat up straighter. “How is he?” he asked.

“He’s stable for now,” Law answered, to Ace’s relief. “Sedated. They want to admit him until they find him a donor.” He offered the clipboard. “You’ll have to sign off on that.”

Ace grabbed the clipboard, and only glanced over the form briefly before he signed his name. “So… what, he’s gonna be stuck there for another four months while we keep waiting for a donor?” he asked as he passed the form back.

Law raised his eyebrows. “Well, considering his condition after that incident, I’m sure his place on the waitlist has changed. But that’s a question for his doctor, not me.” He glanced down at the form. “Do you always sign things without reading them?”

Ace just shrugged. “I trust you,” he said. “Is there anything else?”

“Well… it would probably be a good idea to go see him,” Law suggested. “Maybe ask a friend to bring some things from home in the morning. Whatever he’s going to need for his stay.”

Ace was quiet at first, just running his fingers through Daisy’s fur. “You... said he was sedated, right?” he asked. “So, like… he’s unconscious?”

“At the moment, yes.”

Ace nodded slowly. “I think I’m gonna… I need a little longer,” he mumbled, “Before I face him.”

“That’s fine. I’m just going to bring this inside, I’ll be back.”

As promised, Law was only gone for a few minutes. When he returned, he was wearing a black hoodie, so Ace felt a little less guilty about the coat wrapped around him like a blanket. He watched as Law walked by and took the seat beside him again.

“Aren’t you… supposed to be sleeping right now?” Ace asked. “It’s your night off, right?”

Law shrugged. “I’m fine here,” he said. “You shouldn’t be alone right now.”

That was enough to shut Ace up, at least for the moment. Despite his lingering anxiety, Law’s words made him feel… calm. He hadn’t even expected the doctor to show up in the first place, let alone sit and wait with him. He certainly didn’t mind, though— while he always had Daisy to hold onto, some human company was also appreciated.

He didn’t think they’d do much talking, so he was surprised to hear Law break the silence.

“I had a little sister, you know,” Law said. “She passed away at a young age.”

Ace’s body stiffened. _Oh._ He had no _idea_ how to respond to that. Thankfully, Law didn’t seem to be expecting anything in return.

“She was sick. I was only a few years younger than Luffy when she passed.” Law leaned back in his seat, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his hoodie. “My point is, I know what it feels like. The appointments, the surgeries, the ER visits in the middle of the night. It sucks. And I’m sorry you have to go through it.” He sighed. “But… I’m here for you. If you need support.”

Ace took a deep breath and hugged Daisy closer. He suddenly wanted to cry again— he was feeling a whole lot, but he really didn’t feel like having a breakdown in front of Law. For the moment, he managed a soft “Thank you.”

* * *

Luffy looked peaceful in his sleep. While Ace knew it was mostly due to the sedatives, it was still nice to see him relaxed after everything that had happened. The doctor said they would check him over after he’d had a good night’s sleep, so all Ace could really do at that point was keep waiting.

Law had been waiting outside the room to give them some privacy, but once Ace had some time to compose himself, he stepped out into the hallway as well. Law was right outside the door, leaning against the wall, but stood up straight once the door opened.

“I… believe this is yours?” Ace said, offering Law the coat he’d kept on even as he came back into the building.

“Yes, thank you,” Law said, and hung the coat over his shoulder. “How’s Luffy?”

“He’s… sleeping,” Ace answered, nodding slowly. “He’s calm, at least.”

“That’s good,” Law said. He seemed to be studying Ace’s expression when he asked, “How are _you?”_

Ace hesitated with that one, crossing his arms to his chest. The hallway was pretty quiet, but his voice was still barely audible when he spoke. “They… they said he flatlined,” he said. “That means… he _died,_ doesn’t it?”

Law raised his eyebrows, but his expression remained neutral otherwise. “Not necessarily, no,” he said.

Ace furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Law began, crossing his arms as well. “Would you rather I give you a medically accurate explanation or a more comforting one?”

If Ace didn’t feel so awful at that moment, he might have laughed at Law’s bluntness. “I’ll… take the second one,” he said.

“Okay,” Law replied. “Well. If he had _died,_ he wouldn’t be alive right now. So, no, he didn’t. His heart just stopped beating temporarily.”

Ace nodded slowly. “I guess that makes sense,” he mumbled. He was quiet for a moment, just glancing back into the room at his brother. “Thanks, Law. For everything.”

“It’s no problem,” Law said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’m just glad you’re both alright.”

“I mean it, though,” Ace insisted. “I know we haven’t known each other for long, but… you’re a really good friend. I’m glad I met you.”

He couldn’t quite read Law’s expression, but he swore he caught a hint of a smile.

At Ace’s insistence, Law went home. While he appreciated the company, he could tell the doctor was exhausted and needed to sleep. Ace would be fine, though, he had Daisy there— Daisy, who had taken up residence at the foot of Luffy’s bed, and who didn’t seem to mind Ace using her as a pillow. It was a bit of an awkward angle to use his phone at, sitting down in a chair by the bed, but he’d felt it vibrate in his pocket and wanted to check.

Law Trafalgar  
  
You’re a good friend, too.  
  
Get some sleep tonight if you can.  
  
thanks. i’ll try  
  
🧡  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> genuinely just asked my beta reader if them referring to each other as friends 20k words in was moving too fast but you know what? they deserve this


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again! just letting you know that updates might be a little slow for the time being, as i'm participating in writer's month for the duration of august (which you can check out on my profile here or on [tumblr](https://tellmewhatyouc.tumblr.com/) 👀) and i have some other projects i'm working on as well. i've got a lot in mind for this fic, but i'm just trying to figure out how i want to arrange all my ideas and how exactly i want the story to go.
> 
> as always, thanks for reading!

Luffy had been at the hospital for three days, and Ace hadn’t left the place since. Of course, he’d asked Sanji to bring over some things from home, changes of clothes and the like. Sanji visited them more often than Ace asked, even bringing over food from the restaurant, which Ace and Luffy always scarfed down in record timing. As much as he could, he made sure they were taken care of.

All things considered, Luffy was okay. He kept up a cheery mood, even if he was probably bored out of his mind. The only real physical activity the doctors allowed was a brief, daily walk around the halls, so he took full advantage of that time. He made a point to smile and wave at every person he passed, more often than not striking up conversations with the other kids in the ward.

Ace, while happy to see his brother in good spirits, was also miserable enough for both of them. He knew Luffy was likely to get his transplant sooner rather than later, but the wait now seemed a lot harder than it ever had. It was _urgent_ now, urgent enough that Luffy wouldn’t be going back home without a new heart.

Frankly, Ace was scared. He knew he had people to turn to, friends who would be willing to hear his worries and comfort him. Hell, even Sanji had tried to get him talking a couple times, when Luffy was asleep and wouldn’t be able to hear them. But it didn’t feel right to burden anyone else with his problems, even if they made an offer to listen. Sanji had his own life to worry about, and he’d already done more than enough for them.

For Luffy’s sake, Ace kept a smile on his face.

* * *

Law wasn’t thrilled to be visiting the pediatric ward again. He had to be careful to hide his more incriminating tattoos around there, keep his hands stuffed in his pockets as he walked down the halls. At the very least, he wasn’t there for any reason pertaining to his job, so he wouldn’t have to speak to any more children than he wanted to.

It was fairly early in the morning, and he’d just finished his shift, so it was probably in his best interest to go home. But some part of him couldn’t leave the hospital without checking in on Ace and Luffy, even if they were probably asleep. He’d only seen them one other time since Luffy’s admission, and while the boy’s sunny disposition was promising, Ace was looking a bit worse for wear.

When Law peered through the door of Luffy’s room, he wasn’t expecting it to open. A rather startled Ace was staring back at him, but it wasn’t long before a smile appeared instead. “Oh, hey,” Ace said. “What’s up?”

Law raised his eyebrows. Somehow, Ace looked even more tired than when Luffy had been in the ER. “Why are you awake?” Law asked. “It’s barely six in the morning.”

Ace shrugged. “Kinda hard to keep a decent sleep schedule around here when there’s nurses in and out every hour or so,” he said. He glanced back inside the room before he stepped out into the hall, pulling the door shut behind him. “I was gonna grab some breakfast. You free?”

Law hesitated. As much as he wanted to go home, he also didn’t want Ace passing out in the middle of the hallway and hurting himself. “Sure. Lead the way.”

Ace seemed to perk up a little at the promise of Law’s company, but as they walked to the elevator, his posture suggested that he wouldn’t be standing for very long.

Maybe some conversation would keep him awake.

“How’s Luffy?” Law asked, since he doubted Ace had very much else to discuss at the moment.

“He’s actually doing pretty okay,” Ace answered. “I mean… he can’t do much. But he’s makin’ the most of it, y’know?”

Law nodded. “That’s good to hear,” he said. The elevator doors opened, but Ace didn’t move, just swayed slightly on his feet. Law took it upon himself to rest a hand on Ace’s back and gently usher him into the hallway. “Ace, when was the last time you slept?” he asked.

Ace shrugged. “Dunno,” he said. “I’m s’posed to keep track of my sleep attacks, but s’kinda hard when—”

“I mean _voluntarily,”_ Law said.

Ace didn’t answer right away, and at first, Law thought he’d fallen asleep standing up. That is, until he mumbled, “Before we got here.”

Law raised an eyebrow. “Have you left the hospital at all in the past few days?” he asked, and Ace only shook his head. Law let out a sigh as he turned Ace around, back towards the elevator. “Is Daisy back in the room with Luffy?” he asked.

Ace nodded. “Sleepin’, probably,” he mumbled. “M’hungry, why are we goin’ back?”

“You need to get out of here and get some rest,” Law insisted. “You’re overdoing it.”

Ace could only protest weakly as Law led him back to Luffy’s room. Daisy was already awake when they opened the door, wagging her tail at the sight of them.

“Grab anything you’ll need for the day,” Law said, keeping his voice low so as not to wake Luffy. “You’re going home.”

Ace finally gave up on his protesting, either because he didn’t have the energy or simply didn’t care anymore. He just grabbed a backpack from a chair in the corner of the room, then picked up a notepad and pen to scrawl out a note that he left on Luffy’s bed. He gave Daisy an affectionate pat on the head before he walked past her to meet Law at the door.

“She’s not coming with us?” Law asked, glancing back towards the dog.

“M’gonna leave her with him, so he’s not alone,” Ace said. “She’s pretty independent, ‘n the nurses love her. Don’t think they’ll mind.”

Law hesitated for only a moment before he shrugged it off. The pediatric nurses were too nice for their own good. They definitely wouldn’t mind. “If you’re sure,” he replied. “Let’s go.”

Getting Ace to the ground floor of the hospital was a trial in and of itself, but getting him out to Law’s car was a whole other mess. He was practically dead weight against Law’s shoulder, to the point where more than one concerned staff member offered some help. Law insisted they were just fine as he pressed on, up until he could finally drop Ace off in the passenger’s seat of his car.

By some miracle, Ace managed to stay awake until Law drove into his apartment building’s parking lot. Though, even when Law parked and unlocked the doors, he didn’t move. He was just staring forward, his gaze wandering around the lot.

“Ace?” Law tried. “Do you need help getting inside?”

The silence that ensued seemed to drag on for hours, and for a moment, Law wondered if Ace had managed to fall asleep with his eyes open. Although, as a tear rolled down his cheek, and Ace lifted his hand to wipe it away, he knew there was more to it.

“Sorry,” Ace muttered, his voice shaky. “I’m just...” He took a deep breath. “Fuck. M’sorry.”

Law gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter. He was no good with people crying. “It’s alright,” he replied. “You… don’t have to apologize. You’re under a lot of stress at the moment.”

Ace breathed out a sigh. “Yeah,” he said with a little nod. He was covering his face, but it was pretty clear from the wavering in his voice that he was still crying. “I just… I don’t wanna go back to an empty apartment. I know m’ just gonna worry about him ‘n I won’t be able to get any sleep, ʼcause he’s always home when I sleep at night, and...” He took another deep breath, shaking his head. “I can’t… I can’t do it.”

Law gulped, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. Okay. Alright. Maybe what he was about to do was kind of stupid, and a little overbearing, but he didn’t have many other options. Without a word, he put the car in reverse and looked over his shoulder as he backed out of the parking spot.

Ace lifted his head when he felt the movement, looking around them. “Wh… what are you doing?” he asked.

“I think you should come home with me,” Law answered, focusing on the road instead of Ace’s tear-streaked face. “You can go back to the hospital once you’ve had some food and rest. Is that alright?” Law was leaving the parking lot regardless, but he caught a nod out of the corner of his eye.

Ace dozed off pretty quickly after that, and was out cold for the entirety of the ride home. When they pulled into the driveway, Law very briefly considered trying to carry him, but he knew that wouldn’t end well. Sure, Ace was a few inches shorter than him, but he was also a lot more muscular. Law had barely been equipped to handle the man’s weight against him back at the hospital.

Law opened the door on the passenger’s side and grabbed Ace’s backpack, since he could at least carry that. He gave Ace’s shoulder a gentle shake. “Ace,” he said, “Ace, I need you to walk into the house.”

It took a moment, but Ace stirred, his head jerking up and hitting the back of the seat. “Fuck, sorry,” he muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Don’t worry about it,” Law replied. “You can sleep properly once you get inside, alright?”

Ace seemed a little more coherent, at least, now able to stand on his own two feet. He followed Law to the front door without much trouble, and leaned against the porch railing while Law searched his pockets for his keys.

“The couch pulls out into a futon, so if you give me a minute, I can set that up,” Law said as he unlocked the door, then pushed it open. “Also, I have a very anxious and very _blind_ cat, so please watch your step.”

“I will,” Ace mumbled, nodding in response. He could speak, sure, but it was clear he was fading fast.

Law stepped inside the house and, as if on cue, a loud _meow_ greeted him. He looked over to see the small black cat perched on top of her tower, staring towards the door. “It’s just me, Cora,” he said as he dropped Ace’s backpack down by the couch.

As Ace watched the cat climb down from her tower, his expression softened. “Oh, she’s adorable,” he said. Cora froze up at the sound of another voice, and sniffed the air around her before she scurried off down the hallway.

Law let out a sigh as he got to work pulling out the couch. “She’s skittish,” he said. “You probably won’t see much of her.”

“Well, it was a pleasure meeting her, anyway,” Ace said with a soft chuckle. He walked over to sit on the futon when it was ready, glancing around the room. “This is… a nice place you’ve got here,” he said.

Law raised an eyebrow. “Oh, ah… thank you,” he said. Like the rest of the house, his living room was a pretty minimalist space, with only the essentials and a few decorations. Still, the place wasn’t cheap, and he made a point to keep it clean, so the compliment was probably justified. “I’m going to get you something to drink first, but do you still want breakfast? I’m ordering my dinner, but I could put something small together to tide you over in the meantime.”

Ace shrugged. “Yeah, man, whatever you’ve got,” he said. “M’not picky.”

“Alright,” Law replied before he turned to head into the kitchen. He really needed some rest himself, and probably a shower, but he wanted to account for Ace’s well-being first. “Do you want some tea?” he asked. He was pretty sure he had something herbal, non-caffeinated, that wouldn’t keep Ace up any longer. He looked through the cabinets, but when he realized Ace didn’t answer him, he paused. “Ace?”

One look in the living room showed Ace sprawled across the futon on his stomach, sound asleep. The only sign of life from him was the occasional snore.

* * *

When Ace finally woke up, he felt awful. His throat stung, his muscles ached, and he couldn’t quite remember where he was. The last thing he could vividly recall was leaving the hospital with Law, which probably explained the unfamiliar surface he was laying on. However, it did not explain the odd weight on his back, so he lifted his head to look back and see what was causing it.

“Careful.” Ace’s gaze shifted towards the hallway. Law was standing there, out of his scrubs and in his street clothes instead. “There’s a cat on your back.”

Ace blinked. Sure enough, the little black cat was curled up on top of him, sleeping peacefully. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

“How are you feeling?” Law asked. Quickly, he added, “You may want to speak quietly. She’s not familiar with your voice.”

“Uh… disoriented,” Ace replied, keeping his voice low as asked. “What time is it?”

Law glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Almost 4 PM. You slept for nine hours.”

Ace sighed and let his head fall back down against the futon. “Fuck,” he groaned, then jumped at the distinct feeling of claws in his back. He watched as the little cat ran off, retreating to the hallway again. “Why do I feel so awful, then?” he asked.

Law shrugged. “Because you’ve been neglecting your health for the past three days?” he suggested. “If you don’t mind pizza for breakfast, there’s leftovers from this morning in the fridge. Help yourself.”

After Law walked off, presumably to go soothe the poor cat he’d startled, Ace dragged himself over to the kitchen. There was nearly an entire pizza in the fridge, and Ace took the whole box to the table. He was _hungry,_ and he could always pay Law back later. As he started eating, he fished his phone out of his pocket. The battery was low, as he hadn’t had the chance to charge it, but a couple texts from Sanji caught his eye. The notifications were from a couple hours after he’d left the hospital, but by now, he knew Sanji would be busy at work.

Sanji  
  
You know how dangerous it is to leave with a guy you barely know, right? Especially if you’re still as disoriented as you were the last time I saw you. Call me when you see this, alright? i’m fine dude. i promise law’s not gonna murder me. i crashed on his couch and he gave me food. it’s not like he’s a stranger, you know?  
  
sorry for worrying you though. glad you checked in with luffy this morning.  
  


He could already see Sanji typing a response, but before it came through, his battery died. With a sigh, he tucked his phone back into his pocket. Sanji knew he was safe, at least, so hopefully he wouldn’t be freaking out anymore.

Ace wasn’t sure when Law had joined him in the kitchen, but he made his presence known by setting a bottle of water down on the table. “Drink,” he said.

It was only then that Ace realized just how _dry_ his throat felt, and he mumbled his appreciation before he started gulping down the water. He finished about half the bottle before he set it down, and noticed that Law was staring at him. “What?”

“Are you feeling alright?” Law asked. “After you fell asleep, I went to get a blanket for you, but you were practically radiating heat already, so I put it back. I’m assuming that’s why Cora decided to use you as a pillow.”

Ace chuckled. “Oh, yeah, I kinda just… do that,” he said. “I’m warm. S’pecially when I’m asleep.”

Law furrowed his brow, as if he didn’t believe Ace. Carefully, he lifted a hand towards Ace’s forehead. “May I?”

Ace raised an eyebrow. “Uh. Sure?”

Admittedly, the back of Law’s cold hand on his forehead felt pretty nice, enough to make Ace’s eyes flutter closed. But as quickly as it got there, it was gone, leaving Ace to open his eyes and see Law’s frown. “Well?”

“I’m going to take your temperature,” Law said, and turned to step out of the room before Ace could respond. Confused, Ace put a hand of his own to his forehead, but he didn’t feel much of a difference. Was Law just mistaking his normal body temperature for a fever? It wouldn’t be the first time that had happened to him.

Still, Ace didn’t protest as Law returned and handed him a thermometer with a plastic cover over it. “Put this in your mouth,” he instructed.

Ace just glanced between Law and the thermometer at first, but accepted the circumstances and took it from him. “Wait, do you have a charger that would work with my phone?” he asked as he pulled his phone back out of his pocket. “It’s dead.”

Law glanced down at the phone before he nodded. “I can find something,” he said. As he walked out of the room, he added, “Under your tongue. Three minutes.”

Ace sighed, but he couldn’t help a little smile on his face as he put the thermometer in his mouth. He didn’t necessarily _mind_ Law’s concern for him— in fact, it was kind of cute. But he also wanted to get back to Luffy as soon as possible, and if Law thought he was sick, that probably wasn’t going to happen.

Law came back to the kitchen just in time to hear the thermometer beeping, and he swiped it out of Ace’s mouth in exchange for the phone charger he handed over. “You have a fever,” he said after one glance at the display.

Ace raised an eyebrow at Law before he started looking around the room for an outlet. “I told you, I’m naturally kinda warm—”

“101 is not _naturally warm,”_ Law said. “It’s a fever. Do you have any other symptoms?”

Ace sighed as he plugged his phone in near the corner of the room, but took a moment to think about the question. “Actually… yeah,” he said. “My throat hurts, along with, like… everything else. But I figured that was just… y’know. The exhaustion.”

Law walked across the room to the trash bin, where he carefully disposed of the plastic cover on the thermometer. “The pediatric ward is a breeding ground for germs and viruses,” he said. “You probably caught something from hanging around there all that time.”

“For real?” Ace asked as he dragged himself back to his seat. “Fuck. I gotta go back there to be with him, though.”

Law moved over to the sink to start washing his hands. “I’d advise against it, unless you also want to get him sick,” he replied. “You should go home until this passes.”

Ace groaned and let his head fall until his forehead rested on the table.

“Feel free to take the rest of the pizza with you,” Law added. “I won’t be eating it after that.”

Law was kind enough to drive Ace to his own apartment, though he’d insisted Ace wear a medical mask the whole way. Initially, Ace was a little annoyed by it, but he knew it was for a good reason. If Ace couldn’t even visit the hospital while he was sick, then Law definitely wouldn’t be able to work if he caught whatever it was.

“Will you be alright to get inside by yourself?” Law asked.

Ace nodded. “I’ll be fine,” he said, unbuckling his seatbelt. He paused before, in a moment of boldness, he added, “But… y’know, I’m sure if I had a handsome doctor watching over me, I’d get better a whole lot faster.”

Law rolled his eyes, and Ace couldn’t quite read his expression on his face as he looked out the windshield. “Drink some more water and get well soon,” he said in a dry tone. “Get out of my car.”

Despite his sore throat, Ace found himself giggling as he exited the car.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👋 i'm very excited to be updating this fic again! consistent updates MAY be back for a while, as i've got the next chapter written and the one after that outlined.
> 
> also, i know i've changed the summary of this fic like 5 times, but i think i Finally have something i'm happy with fdjksfd
> 
> enjoy!

Before Law went into work that night, he took his own temperature. He wanted to be absolutely sure that he hadn’t caught whatever Ace had, because the last thing he wanted to do was be responsible for someone _else_ getting sick.

He sent Ace a quick text to check in before he left his house, and hoped the lack of his usual quick response meant that Ace was getting some much-needed rest. With that, he pushed all thoughts of Ace to the back of his mind; he had his own patients to think about, and there was no point in worrying about Ace while he was safe at home.

Law did a pretty decent job of avoiding those thoughts during the first half of his shift. Surgery was always a welcome distraction, even if it never went quite as planned— all that mattered was that the patient came out alive in the end, and he’d managed that much.

After one particularly tricky surgery, he realized he hadn’t eaten since he left his house and decided to make his way down to the cafeteria. Shachi, who had led the team of nurses during that same surgery, came along with him. It was late enough at night that it wasn’t too crowded, and the majority of the people there were also hospital staff working late shifts.

“Man, I feel like I haven’t talked to you in ages,” Shachi said as they claimed a table in the corner of the room. “How have you been?”

“We were just in the OR together for five hours,” Law pointed out.

Shachi scoffed. “Yeah, well, you’re not exactly chatty in there,” he said. “You know what I mean. The last time I saw you outside of surgery, I didn’t even get to say hi ’cause you were dragging a guy out of the hospital. What’s up with that?”

Law tensed. Right. He hadn’t really considered the possibility of any of his friends seeing that particular display, had he? “I was giving him a ride home,” he explained, “He has family here, he was visiting.”

Shachi raised his eyebrows. “That the same guy you were talkin’ to before?” he asked, “Your, uh… _acquaintance?”_

Law breathed out a sigh. “Yes, that’s the one,” he replied. “His name is Ace. We’re… friends. I suppose.”

“Ooh, you’re _friends_ now?” Shachi asked, leaning forward against the table. Law found his enthusiasm irritating, but he supposed this _was_ a rare occurrence for him. He had Bepo, who he’d grown up with, then Shachi and Penguin, who he met in college. He pretty much only saw them at work, and didn’t really bother with anyone else. Ace was a special case, it seemed.

“Please don’t make a big deal out of this,” Law said. “I’m perfectly capable of making friends outside of work, and it’s not something to get overexcited about.”

“What do you mean, outside of work?” Shachi asked. “Didn’t you meet him here?”

“No, actually. I met him at the park across the street.”

“Really?” Shachi asked. “I bet you didn’t just strike up a conversation ’cause you wanted to, though. Was he hurt?”

Law sighed. Shachi knew him all too well. “Not hurt, no,” he said, “But… he’s narcoleptic. I found him unconscious and had to make sure he was alright.” He paused. “On… more than one occasion, actually.”

Shachi chuckled. “Aw, poor guy,” he said. “Shouldn’t he be taking meds for that?”

Law shook his head. “He hasn’t mentioned any medication, so I’m not sure,” he replied. “He… does have a service dog, though. Who seems to be growing attached to me, for whatever reason.”

“Oh, that’s cute,” Shachi replied. “Cora’s got a competitor now, then?”

“Cora doesn’t like anyone _but_ me, so I can’t imagine she’d be too bothered,” Law said. He hesitated before he added, “Though… she did end up sleeping on top of Ace, but I assume that was just because he was sleeping and she mistook him for some kind of space heater.”

Shachi raised his eyebrows. “He slept over?” he asked.

“Well, he fell asleep on my couch,” Law answered. “I told you, he’s narcoleptic. I’m sure he’s slept in stranger places.”

Shachi only hummed in reply, and after a moment, Law glanced up from his food. He didn’t like the way Shachi was just sort of… grinning at him, his chin in his hands.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Law asked.

“Because,” Shachi snickered. “You’re _smiling.”_

Law made a point to frown then, looking back down at his food. “No, I’m not.”

“Uh huh. You were talking about him, and you were _smiling.”_

“He’s my friend, and I enjoy his company,” Law muttered, “Would you rather I be grimacing?”

Shachi waved his hand. “No, no, you do plenty of that,” he said. “Listen, I’m just sayin’. You hardly ever smile at _Bepo,_ and you’ve known him for longer than any of us.”

“Bepo smiles enough for the both of us,” Law replied. “Let me be.”

“Fine, fine,” Shachi replied. “But just… you know. That’s gotta be significant. Think about it.”

Law decided _not_ to think about it for the duration of his shift.

Still, before he went home that morning, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to check in on Luffy. He’d make a quick stop by his room, just poke his head in the door, since he was probably sound asleep at such an early hour.

He was reasonably surprised when a soft knock on the door got a response.

“Come in!”

Carefully, Law pushed the door open and stepped inside. Luffy was sitting up in his bed, playing some handheld game that he put down in his lap in favor of grinning at Law.

“Traffy!” he exclaimed. “Are you my doctor now?”

“No, I’m just visiting,” Law said as he closed the door behind him. “Checking in. How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay!” Luffy replied. “Really tired, though. And I kinda miss school. I was gonna ask my friends to bring the homework over, but Ace said I shouldn’t worry about it.”

Law nodded. “It’s probably best to take a break right now,” he said. “I’m sure your teachers will understand.”

“Oh, speaking of friends,” Luffy continued, leaving Law to wonder if he’d actually listened to what he’d said, “I met one of yours last night! The guy who wears the polar bear scrubs!”

Law raised his eyebrows. Sure, Bepo worked in pediatrics, but Law hadn’t considered the possibility that the two would _meet._ At least they’d probably get along, judging by Luffy’s insistence on making friends. “Maybe you could introduce him to Daisy the next time she’s here,” Law said. “He loves dogs.”

“Oh, yeah, I told him all about her!” Luffy said. “Sanji brought her back home before, though. And since Ace can’t come back until he stops being sick, I’m not sure when I’m gonna see her again.”

“Well, as long as Ace gets plenty of rest, he should be better soon,” Law replied. After all, it didn’t seem like anything serious— just one of the minor viruses that often spread around the hospital. “Speaking of which, I should get some rest myself.” He paused before he added, “Do you… is there anything I can help you with before I go?”

Rather quickly, Luffy shook his head. “Nope! Sanji’s gonna be here soon, and he’s bringing breakfast, so I’m just waiting for that,” he said. “You go get some sleep, Traffy!”

Law sighed. There was no point in trying to correct him now, was there?

* * *

The next couple of weeks seemed to blend together.

Ace was in and out of Luffy’s hospital room (once he was healthy, of course). He stayed overnight as much as possible and only went back home for a break if someone forced him to. Sanji took some time off work to spend time with Luffy when Ace couldn’t. Law continued his check-ins with Luffy, occasionally staying a while and making conversation when no one else was around to do so.

At some point, he realized he’d just made a habit of eating his breakfast in Luffy’s room at the end of his shift. Luffy wasn’t always fully awake to talk, but he seemed to appreciate the company, anyway. When he _was_ awake, he’d always have some ridiculous questions for Law to answer.

On one particular morning, Law had taken another bowl of instant oatmeal up to Luffy’s room, and was sitting in a chair beside the bed while he ate. Luffy was wide awake, and though he’d mentioned not getting a good night’s sleep, he seemed chipper as ever.

“So, what if I get a heart from someone, and then their ghost comes back to haunt me or something?” 

Law blinked. That was a new one. “Well, ghosts aren’t real,” he said, “So I don’t think that’s something you need to worry about.”

“Oh yeah?” Luffy challenged, “How do you know that for sure?”

Law let out a sigh. Why was he doing this, again? “Even if ghosts _were_ real, whatever heart you end up with will be from an organ donor,” he explained. “They consented to that before they died. So I don’t think they would have any reason to _haunt_ you.”

“Oh. Right. I guess that’s true.” Luffy grinned. “Are _you_ an organ donor, Traffy?”

“Yes,” Law answered, and put a hand up before Luffy could say anything else. “I still need my heart. You can’t have it.”

“Aw, man. You sure?”

Before Law could point out just how fucked up of a request that was, the door opened behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see someone he recognized as Sanji— they hadn’t formally met, but Law had heard plenty about him and had even spotted him around the hospital a few times.

“Sanji!” Luffy exclaimed. “Did you bring food?”

“Of course I brought food, I know you,” Sanji replied. He was carrying a lunchbox, which he set down on the tray table beside the bed. Luffy was quick to grab the table, roll it closer, and dig into whatever was packed in there.

Sanji, meanwhile, turned to look at Law, his arms crossed. “Are you… supposed to be eating in here?” he asked.

Law glanced down at his bowl, which was nearly empty by then. “I’m not his doctor,” he explained. “I’m just visiting.”

Sanji narrowed his eyes, and Law saw his gaze shift down to the tattoos on his hands. 

“Yeah, this is Traffy!” Luffy said, in the middle of chewing a banana he’d pulled out of the lunchbox. “I told you ’bout him, remember? He’s me and Ace’s friend!”

“You can just call me Law,” he told Sanji. The butchered rendition of his surname had been introduced the moment they’d met, and he’d given up on trying to correct Luffy.

“Sanji,” the other man introduced himself, though he was still eyeing Law’s tattoos.

It was to be expected, really— Law was far too accustomed to people judging him based on appearance alone. Thankfully, he was done with his breakfast and had a perfectly valid excuse to escape the situation. “I should get going,” he said as he stood from his chair. “My shift is over.” Really, it had ended about an hour ago, but neither of them needed to know that. 

“Okay, Traffy!” Luffy said, waving with his free hand. “Get some sleep!”

* * *

Ace  
  
I met your chef friend this morning. I don’t think he’s very fond of me.  
  
pfft  
  
sanji just takes some time to warm up to other guys. don’t worry about him.  
  
also sorry i took so long to get back to you, i think i slept for like 12 hours last night  
  
how’s luffy?  
  
In good spirits, as usual. I’m impressed by his optimism.  
  
he’s always been a happy kid!  
  
thanks for visiting him. it really means a lot to both of us.  
  
I’m sure even if I didn’t, he’d find a way to track me down. He’s convinced we’re best friends.  
  
guess that means you are! no avoiding it now 😉  
  


* * *

Things continued on similarly for a few more days. Law went to work, checked in with Luffy when he had the time, and communicated with Ace mostly through text. When he slept, he kept his phone’s ringer on, in case anything happened and he was needed.

This did come in handy, eventually. Early one afternoon, when Law was just a few hours into his sleep, he woke up to a call from Ace.

“Hey, Law?” Ace said the second Law picked up, not even giving him time to answer properly.

Law tried his best not to sound too tired when he asked, “Yes?”

“There’s a heart for Luffy.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slightly earlier than expected, we have another update! i'm not writing on a strict schedule at the moment, so i can't promise updates will stay consistent, but i'm very much into this fic right now and have some things planned that i'm very excited about 👀

The pre-op room was a lot less intimidating than Ace had expected. (Given, they _were_ still in pediatrics, so the colorful decorations covering the walls probably helped.) The staff was friendly, Luffy was in a good mood, and Ace was trying his damndest to hide how anxious he was. It was hard not to think about every little thing that could go wrong while he watched the nurses prep Luffy for surgery.

“Are you gonna wait outside the whole time?” Luffy asked, pulling Ace from what was surely about to be another thinking spiral. He was looking up at Ace with a hopeful smile on his face, his arm hanging off the side of the stretcher to scratch the top of Daisy’s head.

“Yeah, I’ll be right out there in the waiting room,” Ace said, nodding towards the door. “And as soon as I’m allowed to, I’ll come in and see you. Okay?”

“Okay,” Luffy replied. He looked down at Daisy then, who was enjoying the extra attention. “You make sure Ace doesn’t overdo it, okay? He’s gotta eat and drink and stuff.”

Ace chuckled. “I promise I’ll eat and drink and stuff,” he said. “As long as you promise not to give any of the doctors a hard time.”

Luffy giggled. “C’mon, when have I ever given anyone here a hard time?” he asked, and the sidelong glance one of the nurses gave him told Ace all he needed to know.

It wasn’t long before they were ready to move him to the OR, and Ace had to say goodbye. The look on Luffy’s face told him that his carefree attitude was _just_ starting to slip, and he squeezed Ace’s hand a little too tightly before they wheeled the stretcher out of the room. Ace made a point to follow them out to the hallway, and watched Luffy with a smile until he couldn’t see him anymore. 

The next step was easy, in theory— he just had to hang around the waiting room and wait for updates on the procedure.

When he stepped into the waiting room, he spotted Law on a bench in the corner. He looked exhausted, more so than usual, but he made eye contact and greeted Ace with a little wave. Ace walked across the room to meet him, and Daisy seemed pretty excited to sit at Law’s feet and stare up at him.

“Hey there,” Ace said as he took a seat beside Law. “Thanks for coming over here.”

“It’s no problem,” Law replied. He reached out to give Daisy a pat on the head, but he looked like he didn’t know how he was supposed to position his hand. Still, despite the awkwardness, Daisy wagged her tail with enthusiasm. “How was pre-op?”

“I think everything went okay,” Ace said with a nod. “He seemed… you know, upbeat as usual. But I think he’s kinda freaked out.”

“Well… if it’s any consolation, he’ll be unconscious soon,” Law replied. “And our cardiology department is very skilled. He’s in good hands.”

“I’m sure he is,” Ace replied with a little smile. For a moment, he just watched Law, who was staring down at Daisy. “You don’t have to stick around if you need to sleep,” he said.

“I’m fine,” Law said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’ve done far more on far less sleep. Don’t worry about me.”

“If you’re sure,” Ace replied as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’m just gonna let Sanji know what’s going on. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet.”

Sanji 🔥  
  
hey i don’t want you to freak out because i know you’re going into work soon, but i just wanted to let you know that luffy’s going into surgery  
  
Is this good news or bad news?  
  
Do you need me to meet you over there? I think the old man would understand if I took the night off.  
  
it’s good news! they’ve got a heart for him  
  
and don’t worry about it, it’s gonna take hours and i don’t wanna keep you from work.  
  
law’s here too so i’m not alone  
  
As long as you’re sure. Call me if you need anything, okay?  
  
of course, thanks man 💕  
  


After he sent the last text, Ace looked up from his phone to talk to Law, but immediately closed his mouth. Law was asleep, slumped against the back of the bench. Daisy was sitting at his feet, wagging her tail back and forth as she looked up at him. She probably wanted to hop up onto his lap, but Ace was her first priority, so she’d have to wait until she was off duty. Ace couldn’t help but smile at the sight of them, but he didn’t want to stare, so he looked back down at his phone to occupy his mind while Law slept.

Although, it wasn’t very long before Ace found himself looking over at Law again. He’d never seen Law so _peaceful,_ his usual scowl gone and replaced by a much more relaxed expression. His face had a nice shape to it, which was something Ace had noticed the first time they met, but he hadn’t thought about it all too much recently. In fact, despite his initial flirtiness, he’d been a little too distracted to think about anything like that lately.

And… maybe that wasn’t something he should be thinking too much about right then.

Instead, his eyes wandered down to the tattoos on Law’s hands. He had yet to learn what they _meant,_ exactly, and why a surgeon would want the word ‘death’ so visible on their body, but he was sure Law had a valid reason for it. He had more ink on his forearms, which Ace had only caught a glimpse of once or twice, since a long-sleeved undershirt beneath his scrubs usually covered them. Now, he could see a hint of the design on Law’s forearm, where the sleeve of his coat was riding up.

Briefly, Ace wondered if Law had any more tattoos he hadn’t yet seen.

He wasn’t sure how long he spent just… staring, but when his phone buzzed to signal the start of the hour, he remembered he still had a several-hour-long wait ahead of him. With a sigh, he tucked his phone back into his pocket and crossed his arms over his chest.

Just a few hours later, he stirred awake at the sound of a phone ringing, and it took him a moment to remember where he was. His face was pressed against something soft and warm, which wasn’t an unfamiliar sensation, but he couldn’t help but notice the distinct lack of fur. If he hadn’t fallen asleep on Daisy, then who—

Oh, wait.

Ace lifted his head from where it had been resting on Law’s shoulder. Law himself seemed to be waking up as well, and Ace wasn’t sure if he was _aware_ of the position they’d been asleep in, but he was sort of hoping he wasn’t. He only realized then that the ringing had stopped, and the dirty looks he was getting from the other people in the waiting room indicated that it had probably been his own phone. He gave an apologetic look before he pulled his phone from his pocket to see a missed call from Sanji. He called back immediately, and heard only one ring before Sanji answered.

“Hey, how are things over there?”

“Alright,” Ace answered. “I mean... I’ve been asleep for a while, so I’ve at least managed to relax, I guess.”

“Yeah, that’s good,” Sanji said. “Any updates on Luffy?”

“Uh... well, I just woke up, so I dunno,” Ace said, glancing towards the front desk. “I’d have to go ask. Could I get back to you on that?”

“Yeah, yeah, just text me once you have something,” Sanji said. “And take it easy, okay? Daisy is there with you, right?”

Ace glanced down at the fluffy dog, who was still lying at their feet. “Yeah, she’s here, vigilant as ever,” he said. “I’ll call you again when he’s done, okay?”

“Yeah, I’m off in a few hours, so I can come by if you want some more company,” Sanji replied. “Talk to you later.”

“Talk to you later,” Ace echoed, and put his phone back into his pocket before he looked towards the front desk. He didn’t move, though. Not yet.

“Are you… going to go up and ask for an update?” Law asked.

Ace turned to look at him. He somehow looked even more tired than before, the dark circles under his eyes more prominent than ever. “I’m… not sure,” Ace admitted. “Honestly, I’m kinda scared of getting bad news.”

Law raised his eyebrows. “Well, if there was any _really_ bad news, you would have heard about it by now,” he reasoned.

“That’s true,” Ace mumbled, glancing back towards the desk. He still couldn’t bring himself to _move,_ though.

“Do you want me to ask for you?”

Ace turned back to Law. With the small chance there _was_ bad news, hearing it from someone he knew sounded a lot better than hearing it from a stranger. “I’d... appreciate it, yeah.”

Without a word, Law stood up, and both Ace and Daisy watched him walk towards the desk. He had a quick exchange with the receptionist, who spoke to him again after a brief phone call. Law nodded before he walked right back over towards Ace and sat down again. It was that simple.

“Everything is going smoothly,” Law said. “It shouldn’t be much longer. But we’ll still have a bit of a wait after he’s done, since he’ll have to stay in the PACU until he wakes up.”

Slowly, Ace nodded. He took a moment to let that sink in before he grabbed his phone to relay the message to Sanji.

Meanwhile, Law looked down at his own phone before he said, “We should eat something. It’s been a few hours.”

Ace glanced up from his phone and frowned. “But… what if there’s something important they have to tell us?” he asked.

“They’ll call you,” Law assured. “You don’t need to worry about that. But you should have something to eat.”

Ace was still a bit reluctant to leave, but he followed Law to the cafeteria nonetheless. At least Daisy was excited to take a walk around after sitting down for so long, and she trotted along beside them the whole way. While Law got a coffee and some sort of wrap, Ace wasn’t quite as hungry. He picked up a muffin so he’d have something on the table, but once they sat down, he could only stare down at it.

Law started on his own meal, though he soon realized Ace wasn’t doing the same. “Are you alright?” he asked.

Ace looked up from his tray to see genuine concern in Law’s eyes— another expression he hadn’t seen much of before. “Yeah, I guess I’m just… worried,” he mumbled. “I know he’s doing okay, and he’s almost done, but… we’ve still got so much ahead of us, y’know?”

Law nodded. “Recovery is never an easy process,” he said, “But the worst of it should be over within the next few days.”

“But he’s gonna take, like… six months to recover fully, isn’t he?” Ace asked. “He’s basically gonna miss the entire school year at this point. He might have to stay back a year. And I’m gonna be missing classes, too, ’cause I wanna keep an eye on him.” He looked down at the table, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve thought about just dropping this semester, starting up again once he’s okay. But the only job I have is on campus, so I’d have to find something else, and...” He shook his head. “I was really looking forward to that whole documentary project, but I haven’t even _started_ it ’cause I’ve been so occupied with Luffy’s stuff. If I keep goin’ like this, I’m just gonna fail anyway.”

At first, Law just took a deep breath, likely processing everything Ace said. “Well, that’s okay,” he said. “You could always take that class another time when you’re more focused, right?”

“I guess,” Ace said with a shrug. “It’s just that… being 21 is supposed to be fun, isn’t it? I mean, I knew I was taking on a lot of responsibility when I adopted Luffy, and I’d never go back and change my mind, but sometimes it’s just… too much to deal with.”

Law only nodded in response. He’d stopped eating at that point, leaving all his attention on Ace.

“My sleep attacks are the worst they’ve been since before I got diagnosed, and now I’m worried I’m gonna start falling down stairs and shit again,” Ace continued. “And I feel like an asshole for complaining about all this, ’cause _Luffy_ is the one in surgery. _He’s_ the one who’s gonna have to deal with six months of recovery, not me.”

Law nodded again, and seemed to think about his answer for a moment before he spoke. “It’s okay to be overwhelmed,” he said. “You _are_ very young, and you’ve taken on a lot of responsibilities for someone your age. But you have people around you who care about the both of you, and it’s okay to ask for help when you need it.”

Ace let out a sigh. “I know,” he said, “It’s just… everyone else has other things to worry about, too. I don’t wanna add on to their problems.”

Law shrugged. “People are willing to make sacrifices for those they care about,” he said. “I know I’m… busy, but I don’t mind stepping in to help where I can. If I’m not at work and you need a ride somewhere, or even just some time away from everything, you can call me.”

Ace raised his eyebrows as a warm feeling filled his chest. Even if he’d said it indirectly, Law _cared_ about him, enough to help Ace in what little free time he had. “Thank you,” he spoke softly.

For the rest of their meal, they didn’t say much. Ace finally started eating, at least— while he still didn’t have much of an appetite, he knew it was important to eat _something_ while he had the chance.

When Law stood up to throw his trash away, Ace stood up after him. “Wait.”

Law paused, raising an eyebrow at Ace. “Yes?”

Before he could change his mind, Ace stepped forward and pulled Law into a hug. Law immediately went stiff in his arms, frozen in place. However, after a few seconds, he reached around to rest a careful hand on Ace’s back. Despite how awkward the gesture was, Ace felt… comfortable.

Once Ace pulled back, he saw Law’s tense shoulders relax. “Thank you,” Ace said, “For being here. And… for everything else.”

Law still looked vaguely uncomfortable— it made sense, since he didn’t seem like a very touchy-feely guy— but he gave Ace a nervous little smile nonetheless. “Let’s go check in at the front desk again, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a reminder that you can always get updates & hear my Yelling about this fic on [tumblr!](https://tellmewhatyouc.tumblr.com/) i use the tag '#soft focus posting' to talk about it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we've got a longer chapter today, i have longer chapters on my other fic i'm working on and may or may not have forgotten that these tend to be shorter 😅

Law had been at the hospital for 7 hours.

Of course, this wasn’t anything new to him. He’d worked a few 24-hour shifts during his internship, on little to no sleep, so less than half of that was easy enough for him to handle. Although, he was used to _working_ while he was in the hospital, not just waiting around for someone in surgery.

Now, though, that wait was finally over.

As Law and Ace stood in front of the ICU, Ace turned to look at him. “Are you coming in?” he asked.

Law raised his eyebrows. He’d assumed his job there was done. “Oh,” he said. “Um. I could if you’d like me to.”

“Of course I would,” Ace replied with a smile. “I’m sure Luffy would wanna see you, too.”

Without much of a warning, Ace grabbed Law’s wrist and followed the nurse into the room. The ICU was busy as usual, and Law felt a bit out of his element in his street clothes. At least, his only responsibility at the moment was to see how Luffy was doing.

The nurse pulled the curtain aside to reveal Luffy’s bed. He looked the calmest Law had ever seen him, considering he was unconscious. He was lying still, hooked up to a few different monitors and a breathing tube. Ace let go of Law’s wrist to rush to the bedside, and Law stayed back to give them a moment of privacy.

“C’mere, I think he’s waking up!”

Law stepped closer just in time to see Luffy’s eyes fluttering open. While Law wasn’t often around to see patients waking up, he definitely recognized the post-anesthesia confusion in Luffy’s expression.

“Hey, buddy,” Ace greeted, his voice wavering slightly. “Feelin’ okay?”

Luffy nodded just slightly. He couldn’t speak, not with the breathing tube in, and Law could only imagine how difficult that was for someone as talkative as him.

“You made it,” Ace said, reaching forward to ruffle Luffy’s hair. “You did so well. They said you’ll just be in here for a couple days, and then you can stay somewhere quieter, okay?”

Another nod. Luffy’s communication was very limited, after all.

“They said your friends can visit, too, once you’ve had some more rest and the anesthesia wears off,” Ace continued. “Sanji said he’d stop by tomorrow morning.”

Luffy smiled then, as best he could with the tube in his mouth. It was only then that he made eye contact with Law, and lifted his hand to wave at him. Without much thought, Law waved back. Then, Luffy looked back at Ace and wiggled his thumbs, and Law didn’t even realize that was supposed to mean something until Ace pulled out his phone.

“Oh, yeah, you wanna type somethin’?” Ace asked. He passed his phone over to Luffy, who took a moment to type before showing them the screen.

_Have you been waiting here the whole time_

“Of course I have, buddy,” Ace replied with a smile. “I wanted to be here when you woke up.”

Luffy nodded and typed up something else to show them.

_You should go home and sleep_

Ace scoffed. “What, are you tryin’ to get rid of me?” he asked.

“You _have_ been here for a long time,” Law pointed out, glancing at his own phone to check the time. His shift was starting soon.

Ace furrowed his brow before he looked back at Luffy. “I don’t wanna leave you alone, though,” he said. “Are you gonna be okay in here?”

Luffy typed another message pretty quickly.

_I’ll be sleeping so it won’t matter_

Ace sighed. “Okay, I guess that’s true,” he said. “I’m gonna come back first thing in the morning though, okay?”

Luffy shook his head before he typed up his response.

_You’re cranky before noon_

_“Fine,”_ Ace replied, “Right after I usually wake up, then. Happy?”

Luffy nodded, seemingly satisfied with himself as he returned Ace’s phone.

“Just make sure you press the call button if you need anything, okay?” Ace asked, moving the remote on the bed a little closer to Luffy’s hand. “That’s what the nurses are here for. They’re looking out for you.”

Luffy nodded again before he made a shooing gesture toward Ace, who rolled his eyes in response.

“Fine, fine, I’ll go home and sleep,” Ace said, and reached down to give Luffy another pat on the head. “You get your rest, too.”

Before they left, Luffy gave Law another wave, which he returned in kind. Once they’d stepped out of the ICU, Ace turned back to face Law.

“Hey, do you wanna come home with me?” he asked.

Law blinked. “What?”

“I mean… it’s gonna be a while before I actually fall asleep, so I was thinkin’ maybe we could get some takeout, watch a shitty movie or something.” He shrugged and glanced off to the side. “Just... you know. Hang out.”

Law took a moment to think about that. It _did_ sound… kind of nice. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d just _hung out_ with someone, even his other friends. But, unfortunately, it wouldn’t be happening that night. “I... actually have to start my shift in a little while,” he replied. “I’m sorry.”

For a moment, Ace was visibly disappointed, but his expression quickly neutralized into a soft smile. “Oh, yeah, no, I get it,” he said, “I’ll be fine. I can always bother Sanji. He’s right down the hall, and he’ll be off work by the time I get back. No worries.”

Law nodded. Typically, he’d be relieved to have an excuse to refuse such an offer, but the one time he actually wanted to accept, his work prevented him from doing so. “Do you need a ride home?” he offered.

Ace shook his head. “Oh, no, the walk will do me good after sitting down for so long,” he said, then reached down to pet Daisy’s head. “Plus, I got her to keep me company. But thank you.” He seemed to hesitate before he added, “I’d... hug you again, but you didn’t seem too into that last time.”

Law lowered his gaze. Ah, right. “I’m… not a very physically affectionate person,” he muttered.

“No, really?” Ace asked with playful sarcasm in his tone. “It’s fine, though, don’t sweat it. Not everyone’s into hugging.” As a less invasive alternative, he gave Law a pat on the shoulder. “Make sure _you_ get some rest when you can, too, okay?”

“Will do,” Law replied with a nod. “Goodnight.”

“Night!” Ace said before he turned around, Daisy following close beside him. For a minute, all Law could do was stand there and watch him walk away.

Not long after Ace left, Law found himself in the cafeteria again. He had a long, busy shift ahead of him, so he wanted to feed himself while he could. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a quiet meal by himself was interrupted by a cheery man in polar-bear-patterned scrubs taking the seat across from him.

“Hey, boss,” Bepo said, and the old nickname made Law’s grimace soften a little. “You’re here early.”

“I’ve been here since this afternoon,” Law said.

“Yeah, I know, but I figured you’d at least go _home_ before your shift started,” Bepo replied. “You were waiting for Luffy to get out of surgery, weren’t you?”

Law raised his eyebrows. Right, the two of them had been acquainted. They’d probably talked about Law, too, and that wasn’t a pleasant thought. “Yes,” Law replied. “He’s in recovery now. It seems like everything went smoothly.”

“That’s good!” Bepo replied. “His brother seems to care about him a lot, it’s really sweet.”

“He does,” Law agreed.

Bepo’s gaze wandered around the cafeteria before he spoke again. “So... you and him, “he began, “Are you, like—”

“Friends,” Law interjected. He could tell where this was going, and he didn’t like it. “Yes. Ace is my friend.”

Bepo smiled. “Yeah, but... come on.”

“Come _on,_ what?” Law asked, his brow furrowed. What was it with his friends and their obsession with his other friends?

“Well, I... might have seen you two in the waiting room earlier,” Bepo said with a little shrug. “He had his head on your shoulder. It was really cute.”

Law blinked. He thought he’d felt a weight on his shoulder when he first woke up, but he’d assumed he’d just imagined it. “He’s narcoleptic,” he reasoned, “He can’t help where he falls asleep.”

“I mean, you were _also_ sleeping,” Bepo began, and Law’s death glare must have been pretty effective because he did not continue. “Sorry.”

“I don’t see why you and Shachi feel the need to question me about my relationships,” Law said. “I’m allowed to have other friends, you know.”

“Well, duh, of course you are,” Bepo said. “No one’s stopping you, especially not us. But, I dunno, when you’ve only seemed to care about three people total for the past ten years or so, it’s kind of a big deal when there’s suddenly a fourth.” He shrugged. “And... also, spending all day in a waiting room isn’t really something you do for a casual friend. So I figured he’s probably important to you.”

Law crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. He suddenly didn’t feel like eating anymore. “Okay. I will admit that I _care_ about him—“

“Well, yeah, we knew _that—“_

“But I don’t need you two meddling and questioning the details of our relationship,” Law continued without batting an eye. “It’s annoying. I’m honestly surprised you haven’t gotten Penguin in on it, too.”

“Oh, Pen’s in on it for sure,” Bepo replied with a snicker. “We have a bet going, actually.”

Law sighed. “Don’t you have sick children to look after?” he asked, practically staring a hole through Bepo’s face.

Bepo let out a little nervous laugh. “Right! The children.” He grabbed his coffee as he stood from the table, and left Law with a salute. “See you at breakfast.”

* * *

When Ace got back to his apartment building, he walked right by his own door and went straight for Sanji’s. As he expected, Sanji had just gotten home from work, and seemed to be halfway through unbuttoning his shirt when he opened the door.

“Hey, come on in,” Sanji said, stepping aside to let Ace in. “I have to shower, but make yourself at home. How’s Luffy?”

Ace smiled as he stepped inside. He could probably use a shower, too, but that could wait. “He seems okay,” he replied as he knelt down to help Daisy out of her vest. She walked across the room to rest on a blanket Sanji kept on the floor for her. “He’s still kinda out of it from the anesthesia. But he insisted I come home instead of spending another night at the hospital.”

“Yeah, well, he was right to do so,” Sanji replied before he turned towards the bathroom. “There’s leftovers from tonight on the counter. Knock yourself out.”

Without a second thought, Ace headed right for the kitchen. He hadn’t even realized it until just then, but he was _starving._ He was more than happy to find a container of some beef-based dish on the counter, still warm, and grabbed a fork to dig right in. He knew Sanji would probably tell him to get a bowl, had he been present. But Ace was probably going to eat the whole thing anyway, so why did it matter?

He’d nearly emptied the container by the time Sanji got out of the shower and changed into some comfy clothes. Surprisingly, he didn’t comment on Ace’s eating habits, and instead just grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “How are you doing?” he asked.

Ace made a point to chew and swallow before he answered. “I’m okay,” he said. “Just… really tired. More than usual, I mean.”

Sanji nodded. “I’m guessing you’re staying the night?” he asked.

Ace glanced up from his nearly-finished meal. “Can I?”

Sanji shrugged. “I wouldn’t have asked if the answer was no,” he said. “We can watch bad cooking shows and yell at the contestants. My neighbors really love it when we do that.”

Ace snickered. “Oh, absolutely.”

As Ace finished up the remains of his dinner, Sanji made popcorn and poured them each a glass of wine. They moved to the couch, where Daisy curled up at Ace’s feet and dozed off. They found a show to watch, and Sanji made a point to critique every little thing the contestants did wrong. Ace had a grand old time listening, laughing when Sanji got _very_ worked up over the way someone decided to season a steak, even though he himself couldn’t tell the difference. He would have eaten it regardless. 

By the time they’d watched a few episodes, the bowl of popcorn was empty, and Ace was feeling pleasantly sleepy. He’d only had one glass of wine, but that in combination with his existing exhaustion was enough to make him ready for bed. He didn’t even have to say anything for Sanji to turn the TV off and stand from the couch.

“Let me grab some blankets and pillows for you,” Sanji said before he walked over to the closet to do just that.

“Thanks,” Ace said as he stood up himself. He brought their dishes to the kitchen— normally, he’d wash them, but this time he settled on putting them in the sink. When he came back, Sanji was spreading out a sheet over the couch, a blanket folded on the coffee table with a pair of pillows beside it.

“Is there anything else you need?” Sanji asked.

Ace thought about that for a moment, then glanced down at himself. He was still wearing jeans, but he was sure he had a pair of pajama pants he’d left somewhere in Sanji’s apartment. If not, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d slept over in just his boxers. “I might shower before I sleep, if that’s okay,” he said, and Sanji nodded. “But, uh… can I talk to you about somethin’ first?”

“Yeah, sure,” Sanji replied, and gestured towards the couch. “Wanna sit?”

Ace nodded, and they sat down right where they were before. Now that the couch was covered, Daisy hopped up on top of it, lying down across Ace’s lap. Ace ran his fingers through her fur as he thought about just how he wanted to voice his thoughts. “You know… Law?” he asked, “The surgeon I’ve been talking to?”

Sanji raised an eyebrow. “The one with the prison tattoos?” he asked. “Yes, we’ve met. What about him?”

“They’re not—” Ace shook his head. “Nevermind. But, yeah, I asked _him_ to hang out with me tonight, but he declined ’cause he had to work.”

“Oh, I was your second choice?” Sanji asked, though his amused expression let Ace know he wasn’t seriously offended.

“You live, like, four doors down from me,” Ace reasoned. “I don’t have to _ask_ to hang out with you. I just show up.”

“I know, I know,” Sanji said with a wave of his hand. “What about this guy, though? What are you getting at?”

Ace took a deep breath, looking down at his hands in his lap. Right. He’d started this conversation, hadn’t he? “Well,” he began. “I might… sort of have a thing for him. And I’m not really sure what to do about that.”

Sanji went dead silent, so Ace looked up at him again. The expression on his face was one of plain confusion. “Are we… talking about the same man?” Sanji asked. “Sideburns, goatee? ‘Death’ tattoos on his hands?”

Ace furrowed his brow. “Yes?” He crossed his arms. “Listen, I know you’re not into guys, but you gotta admit that he’s… got a pretty nice face.”

Sanji shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. I’ve only ever seen him pouting.”

Ace let out a chuckle at that. Sure, Law wasn’t the most _expressive_ person out there, but… that just made it more special, every time he let a smile slip through. Ace knew he had yet to see a full, genuine grin from Law, but he was excited for the day he finally got the chance to.

“...Ace?”

A poke on his shoulder made him realize he’d been zoning out, and he blinked to focus his vision. “Huh?”

“You’re daydreaming,” Sanji said with a chuckle. “I really don’t get what you see in this guy, but if you don’t think he’s a creep, I’ll trust your judgment.”

Ace shook his head. “No, yeah, he’s… really sweet, honestly,” he said. “I know he _looks_ scary, but he really doesn’t seem like a bad guy. Luffy likes him, too.”

“Luffy likes _everyone,”_ Sanji pointed out, and he wasn’t exactly wrong. “So, what are you gonna do?”

Ace furrowed his brow. “About what?” he asked. As much as he was trying to pay attention to the conversation, he was fading fast.

“About your crush on the surgeon?” Sanji reminded him. “Are you going to tell him?”

Ace’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, god, no,” he said. “I’m pretty sure he’d reject me. Plus, I gotta focus on Luffy, ‘n he’s being really helpful, we got a good thing goin’ on, an’ I don’t wanna make things _weird—”_

“I don’t mean _right now,”_ Sanji said. “You should focus on Luffy while he’s still recovering. But, you know, once he’s had some time to heal and he can be more independent, you still have a life of your own.”

“I guess,” Ace said with a shrug. He hadn’t really thought about _after_ Luffy’s recovery, when there was less going on. Would he still feel the same way when he wasn’t in such a stressful situation?

“But, anyway, you look like you’re about to fall asleep,” Sanji said, and stood from the couch. “Why don’t we talk about this more tomorrow, when you’re fully sober and coherent?”

Ace let out a sigh. “Yeah, okay. Night.”

“Goodnight,” Sanji replied. He gave Daisy a pat on the head before he headed to his own room.

With all thoughts of a shower completely forgotten, Ace curled up next to Daisy and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you happen to wanna hang out with other acelaw shippers, i've recently made a (16+) discord server! you can find more info in [this tumblr post,](https://tellmewhatyouc.tumblr.com/post/628917287991361537/join-the-acelaw-discord-today-you-know-these) or simply join with this link: <https://discord.gg/5UCFxQj>


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO AGAIN
> 
> i missed this fic a whole lot, but i've been writing a lot of acelaw lately and really wanted to come back to it. i still can't promise consistent updates, since i'm still finishing up some writing challenges, but i wanted to put something out there since it's been a while!

The following morning, at the end of his shift, Law made a point to visit Luffy. He wouldn’t bring his breakfast into the ICU, but at the very least, he wanted to stop by and say hello, since Ace wouldn’t be around until the afternoon.

As exhausted as Luffy looked, he still grinned when he saw Law. With the breathing tube gone, his expression showed at full force. “Morning, Traffy,” he said, not quite as enthusiastic as usual.

“Hello,” Law greeted. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Luffy answered. Law could have guessed that much. “There’s too much noise in here. I didn’t sleep good.”

“That’s understandable,” Law said as he took a seat in a chair near the bed. He hadn’t planned on staying for long, but he also hadn’t expected Luffy to be awake. “This is a very busy part of the hospital. But, depending on how well you’re recovering, you might have your own room by the end of the day.” 

Luffy nodded. “They said I’d be in there for another two weeks,” he said. “Are you gonna visit me all those days?”

Law raised his eyebrows. “When I can, sure,” he replied. He didn’t mind the visits, but he wasn’t about to make a habit of showing up on his days off. “I’m sure Ace will be here plenty, too. And your friends.”

Luffy smiled wider. “Nami said she’s gonna visit tomorrow!” he said. “Did I tell you about Nami? She’s really cool.”

Law nodded. “You’ve told me plenty,” he said. Luffy had rambled on about an extensive range of topics during their time together, and it was hard to remember it all. But he definitely recalled more than one mention of Luffy’s ‘best friend in the whole world.’ 

“Well, maybe you can meet her tomorrow if you’re around!” Luffy said. “And then maybe you can meet Usopp, and Zoro, and Chopper, and…”

Luffy continued to ramble on about his friends, how they all met, and how they wanted to travel the world together someday. Law was far too tired to keep up with it all, but he smiled and nodded to show he was still listening.

When Luffy yawned mid-sentence, Law took that as an opportunity to bring his visit to a close. “You should try to get some more rest,” he said. “It’s still early. The nurses may be able to give you something to help you sleep, if you ask.”

Luffy shook his head. “Nah, I’m tired enough to sleep on my own,” he said, letting his head fall back against the pillow. “You get your rest, too! I’ll see you tomorrow morning, okay?”

“Alright,” Law said. He stood from his seat and gave Luffy a small wave. “Sleep well.”

He left the ICU feeling a lot better than the rest of his shift had made him feel. While Luffy had initially come off as kind of obnoxious, Law was gradually getting used to it. (And the fact that Luffy wasn’t quite as high-energy in the hospital was definitely helping.)

As usual, Law’s peace was short-lived, because he made eye contact with Penguin from across the hall. They hadn’t seen each other since Law found out about his little _bet_ with Bepo, and he really didn’t care to deal with more teasing. He made a beeline for the elevator, but Penguin was persistent enough to catch up before the doors closed.

“Hey, how’s Luffy?”

“Fine,” Law responded curtly, then furrowed his brow. “How do you know about Luffy?” he asked. Penguin was an OR nurse, and generally tried to avoid pediatrics as much as Law did. He would have no reason to know, unless—

“Bepo told me,” Penguin answered with a shrug. “Y’know, since _you_ never tell me anything about your personal life.”

“It’s not my ‘personal life’ if it’s work-related,” Law pointed out. “If you’ve come to interrogate me about my other friendships, I won’t be having that.”

“Nah, nah, that’s not why I followed you,” Penguin replied. The elevator dinged, and the doctor standing beside them stepped off. Penguin waited until the doors closed before he said, “I just wanted to let you know that I got ahold of the stuff you asked for. So I can drop it off whenever.”

Law raised his eyebrows. He’d been so caught up in his friends’ shenanigans that he’d forgotten he’d asked a favor of Penguin. “Thank you,” he said. “I’ll get back to you on that.”

“No problem, boss,” Penguin said with a little salute. “But, about your personal life—”

The elevator doors opened again, and Law took that opportunity to step away. “Absolutely not.”

* * *

Ace woke up feeling surprisingly well-rested. Sanji’s couch wasn’t the most comfortable place he’d ever slept, but it was one he was used to, so it was good enough. Plus, knowing that someone he cared about was close by always helped.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Daisy started licking his face. He pushed her away as gently as he could. “I bet you’re hungry, huh?” he asked with a chuckle. “We can go home and feed you in a sec.” Slowly, he sat up, and Daisy hopped down onto the floor.

Then, Ace spotted a note on the coffee table:

_9:00 AM_

_Went out to see Luffy before running some errands. Lock the door on the way out and call if you need anything._

Ace set the note down before he grabbed his phone to check the time. It was just past 11— early for him, but justified by how much earlier he turned in the previous night. He sent Sanji a text to let him know he was leaving the apartment before he headed back to his own place to get Daisy some breakfast.

While she ate, Ace took a shower and got ready to leave again. This time, he packed an overnight bag, since he planned to stay by Luffy’s side for as long as possible. Once Daisy was fed and clothed in her vest, they left for the hospital.

As he’d learned during his other visits, going through the pediatric ward with a big, fluffy dog wasn’t easy. He stopped by more than a few rooms on his way to Luffy’s, when the kids spotted him and the nurses allowed it. By the time he finally made it to his destination, he was more than ready to sit down and rest.

He smiled at the sight of a sleeping Luffy. While he’d love to have a conversation, he was just glad his brother was getting some sleep. Once he’d settled down in the chair beside the bed, Ace reached out to hold Luffy’s hand. “You made it through the night without me, huh?” he asked, keeping his voice low. “Guess you’re not as much of a crybaby as you used to be.” 

Almost immediately, Luffy stirred, and his eyes fluttered open. He blinked to focus his vision before he smiled. “Hi.”

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Ace said, returning the smile. “Sorry, did I wake you up?”

“S’okay,” Luffy replied through a yawn. “I’d rather talk to you than sleep.”

Ace chuckled. “Good, ‘cause that sounds a whole lot better to me than just sitting around and waiting for you to wake up,” he said. He gave Luffy’s hand a gentle squeeze before he let go. “How are you feeling, buddy?”

Luffy shrugged. “Tired,” he said. When he spotted Daisy sitting by the bed, he reached out towards her. She wagged her tail as she pushed her head under his hand to encourage him to pet her. “I can talk now, though. That’s pretty cool.”

“That _is_ cool. That breathing tube thing didn’t look too comfortable.”

Luffy scrunched up his nose. “It wasn’t,” he said. “How are _you?”_

Ace paused. He wasn’t too concerned about his own well-being at the moment, but of _course_ Luffy would care. “Oh, I’m okay,” he said. “I slept over Sanji’s. Did he drop by earlier?”

Luffy’s smile returned, and he nodded. “Yeah. He said he couldn’t bring me any food until the doctors say it’s okay, but he promised a _feast_ once I can eat normal stuff again.” He giggled. “Traffy stopped by, too, but that was earlier.”

“Yeah?” Ace asked, his eyebrows raised. “He went to work right after we saw you last night. I figured he’d be too tired to check in.”

Luffy shook his head. “He always comes to visit!” he said. “Almost every morning when you’re not here.”

Ace blinked. “Wait… really?”

Luffy nodded again. “He eats breakfast with me. Sometimes he talks about his surgeries ‘n stuff.”

Ace took a good few moments to process that. Law, always tired, often grouchy, was paying near-daily visits to his _very_ friendly brother. For weeks. And Ace had no idea.

“I like him a lot,” Luffy continued. “Some of the other doctors seem kinda scared of him, but he’s really cool. I dunno what they’re so worried about.”

Ace chuckled. As someone who had seen a bit of Law’s softer side, he didn’t get it, either. Sure, Law seemed intimidating at first, but he was actually pretty sweet once Ace got to know him. “I like him, too,” Ace said. He hesitated, just watching Luffy pet Daisy, before he added, “A lot, I think.”

Luffy looked up at Ace, his head tilted to the side. “Like… a _lot_ a lot?” he asked. “You think you’re gonna be boyfriends someday?”

Ace’s eyes widened. He’d never really divulged the details of his love life to Luffy— not that there was much to tell, anyway. A few crushes, sure, some casual dates he’d mentioned offhand, but nothing serious. Luffy didn’t seem to care much about those things; for a while, Ace thought he was dating Nami, but any questions about it only resulted in the two of them laughing. Like it wasn’t even within the realm of possibility.

“You sure are taking a long time to answer,” Luffy remarked, and Ace felt his face heat up. Right. He had to _answer._

“Well… I dunno, maybe,” he replied with a shrug. “Dating isn’t really my top priority right now, y’know? But he’s a really good friend to us, and that’s what matters.”

Luffy, as expected, didn’t press further. He just nodded in agreement and shifted his attention back to Daisy. The fact that he didn’t mind Law’s presence, actually _enjoyed_ it, meant a lot to Ace. While Luffy was pretty quick to make friends, he didn’t bother with needlessly cruel people. If he liked someone, that meant he saw something in them worth liking.

“I’m… glad you like him, though,” Ace added. “‘Cause I like having him around.”

Luffy grinned. “Yeah, and maybe having a doctor around will help me recover faster!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to everyone who's been waiting since the last update, as well as the new readers who have picked this up during the hiatus! barring any unexpected events, the next update should be sometime in november ♥️
> 
> OH ALSO if you scroll down a bit to see the inspired works, you can see that Bajillian wrote a little one shot based in this universe! and you should check it out because it's very good and soft


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was not supposed to be this long but here we are

Between Law’s late hours and Ace’s afternoon visits to the hospital, the two of them hadn’t seen much of each other. They spent most of their time away from the hospital sleeping, so even their downtime wouldn’t work. They’d exchanged some texts here and there, checking in and updating each other on Luffy’s condition, but that was about it.

Ace was tired. Luffy was always in good spirits when he visited, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. Despite the surgery’s success, there was still a chance the heart would fail and Luffy would end up on the transplant list again. That was a scary thought when they’d already come so far. And despite how much Ace tried to distract himself, it was all he could think about. He didn’t have much else to occupy his mind, after all.

Then, one evening, he got a text from Law on his way home from the hospital.

Law Trafalgar  
  
Hello. I don’t know if you had plans tonight, but I’m not working and was wondering if you’d like to come over for dinner?  


It seemed to come out of nowhere, but the more Ace thought about it, the more it made sense. They’d barely spoken in the past week, and Ace was really starting to miss his company. The fact that he wanted to spend what little free time he had with Ace made him feel… special.

  
i don’t have plans! i’d love to hang out if you’re free 😄  
Is 7 too late for you?  
not at all! i had a snack at the hospital so i don’t mind waiting a bit for dinner  
👍  
Is pizza okay?  
pizza sounds great! let me know how much you want for it, i can bring some cash  
Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you then  


Ace arrived at Law’s house precisely on time, mostly because he jogged from the bus stop. He’d left Daisy with Luffy that night, so he was on his own, but he wasn’t too concerned. He was going to a doctor’s house, after all. Law would probably know what to do if anything happened.

Once he was sure he had the right house, he knocked on the door and waited. Law answered quicker than he’d expected, standing in the doorway in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He looked a little less tired than usual.

“Hello,” Law greeted before he stepped aside to let Ace in.

“Hey,” Ace said with a smile. He stepped inside, then stopped to look around the room. “Oh, uh... is your cat here?” he asked. “I don’t wanna scare her, if she remembers me from last time.”

“Well... she can’t see you, so that might work in her favor,” Law said. “She’ll probably just be confused by your smell. But she’s in my bedroom, so it should be fine for now.”

Ace nodded. “Okay, that’s good,” he said. “Daisy’s back at the hospital, so at least she doesn’t have to deal with that. She hasn’t been around cats since her training, so if we ever want to introduce them, we’ll probably have to do it carefully.”

Law raised an eyebrow. “Maybe we should give Cora some time to get comfortable around _you_ first,” he said before he turned towards the kitchen. “Though, that doesn’t seem to be a problem when you’re asleep.”

Ace grinned at the memory of the little black cat using him as a bed. While it had ended with a pair of claws in his back, it was still nice to look back on. He followed Law into the kitchen without another word, his stomach growling with the reminder of just how hungry he was.

“You got here just in time,” Law said, gesturing to two pizza boxes on the table. “The delivery person left a few minutes ago. I think the box on the top is cheese, and the bottom is pepperoni.”

“Sweet, thank you so much,” Ace said as he took a seat, but didn’t grab anything yet. As hungry as he was, Law had paid for all of it, so Ace didn’t want to scarf down the whole thing right away.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Law asked as he opened the fridge. “I made coffee, but I don’t have decaf.”

“Oh, just water’s fine, thank you,” Ace said with a wave of his hand. “Even decaf would probably fuck up my sleep this late, anyway.”

Ace waited until Law brought their drinks over (a bottle of water and a cup of coffee, respectively) before he went for the pizza. He put the top box aside in favor of the pepperoni, which he grabbed two of the largest slices of. “Thanks again for the invite,” he said, “Really means a lot.”

Law shrugged, going for the cheese pizza. “I figured you’d like to eat something other than hospital food for once,” he said. “It’s nothing homemade, but I still think this is a lot better than the pizza in the cafeteria.”

By the time Law finished speaking, Ace already had a mouthful of pizza, which he swallowed down before he answered. “You’re absolutely right. That shit’s like cardboard compared to this.”

For a while, they both ate in silence. There wasn’t much to talk about other than Luffy’s condition, which they’d discussed plenty in their texts. Ace had a feeling Law didn’t want to think too much about work on his night off, either.

It wasn’t until Ace started his third piece of pizza that Law spoke up.

“Did you have any other plans tonight?”

Ace looked up from his plate, his eyebrows raised. Law had invited him over for dinner, specifically, but it wasn’t like Ace had anything else in mind for the evening. “Not at all,” he answered. “What were you thinking?”

Law shrugged. “I was thinking about that offer I had to decline the night Luffy got out of surgery,” he said. “Something about... ‘shitty movies?’”

Ace’s face lit up. “Oh yeah, I’ve got plenty of those I could share,” he said, “So long as you don’t mind me stickin’ around, I’d love to.”

Once they finished their dinner, Ace helped Law put away the leftovers and clean up their dishes. While Law stayed back to make popcorn, Ace went into the living room to pick out a movie. After some deliberation, he decided on a cheesy monster flick from the 90s— it was bad enough to ignore, but funny enough to keep their attention.

When Law returned with a bowl of popcorn in hand, he chuckled at the sight of the title screen. “I’ve never even heard of this,” he said.

“Oh, perfect, it’s best without any context,” Ace replied. “I promise I won’t go all... _film student_ on you. Sanji hates watching movies with me for that specific reason.”

Law shrugged before he took a seat on the couch beside Ace. “I don’t mind,” he said. “I don’t watch too many movies, so I’d be interested to hear what you have to say.”

Ace tried his very best to ignore the way his heart fluttered at that comment. Law was _interested._ “Well, then we should totally watch some awful medical dramas sometime so you can go off on those,” he said. “‘Cause I’ve seen some _bad_ ones, and I wanna hear your thoughts.”

Law grimaced. “I’ve avoided those all my life,” he said. “I’m sure the sheer amount of inaccuracies would break me.”

“Oh, well, now we _gotta,”_ Ace said. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but he was really excited by the thought of hearing Law getting passionate about something. He obviously cared about his job, and he talked about that plenty, but it wasn’t quite the same. Ace had yet to see too many strong emotions from the doctor, and if annoyance over the absurdity of a medical drama was a way to see that, then so be it.

Still, as the movie began, Ace held back. He didn’t start pointing out the film’s problems until at _least_ fifteen minutes in when he noticed a continuity error and couldn’t resist rewinding it to show Law. As the film went on, he lowered the volume a few times to explain how they’d pulled off different shots, or how certain effects were done. Through it all, Law _listened,_ nodding along and even asking some questions. When Law asked about an incredibly cheesy scene that involved someone getting their hand chopped off, Ace’s explanation turned into a full-on tangent about the evolution of special effects over the past few decades.

Sometime after the film’s midpoint, the popcorn bowl was empty, and Ace was starting to feel drowsy. He rubbed his eyes as he shifted in his seat, trying to gauge whether it was an oncoming sleep attack or just general sleepiness. While he knew Law wouldn’t mind, it still seemed a bit rude to just conk out like that, so he reached over to tap on his arm with the intent of warning him.

He didn’t even get a syllable out before he dozed off.

* * *

Law wasn’t surprised when Ace fell asleep. He was still breathing, and two fingers on his wrist showed a steady pulse, so he wasn’t concerned. It seemed like a pretty standard thing for Ace.

The movie ended shortly after that, and Law got up to put the popcorn bowl in the dishwasher. Since Ace was still asleep, he figured it would be a good time to bring Cora out for her dinner. As expected, he heard her pawing at his bedroom door, so he opened it as carefully as possible to avoid hitting her. The movement was enough to send her skittering away.

“It’s just me,” Law said in his soft, specifically-for-blind-cats voice. “Do you want some dinner?” He took Cora’s mewl as a ‘yes,’ and scooped her up into his arms so she wouldn’t go wandering around on her own.

When Law passed through the living room, Cora was noticeably skeptical, sniffing the air as she often did when he had visitors. But the sound of the food bag snatched her attention, and Law set her down before he poured her some food. He watched her with a little smile on his face as she purred into her bowl.

Law didn’t want to stray too far away in case Cora got curious about Ace, but he did stand in the doorway to check on him. Ace’s head was tilted back in a position that did _not_ look comfortable, and Law had some internal debate before he decided to approach him. Ever so gently, he put a hand on Ace’s shoulder, the other supporting his head while he lay him on his side. Ace went down easily enough, and Law was able to get a pillow under his head, but a snore made Law jump and flinch back.

He was glad no one else was around to see that.

Once Cora was done eating and had a drink of water, Law picked her up again and let her climb up onto his shoulder. When he stepped back into the living room, Ace was just starting to wake up. He yawned before he pushed himself to sit up, and when he spotted Law with Cora, his lips curled into a grin.

“Oh, hello,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Is she gonna run away if she knows I’m here?”

Law looked at Cora, whose ears had perked up at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. “We’ll have to wait and see,” he replied. “She has the higher ground right now, so she shouldn’t be running off yet.”

Ace nodded as he stood up, and slowly extended a hand towards Cora. “Do you think she’d let me get closer?” he asked Law.

Cora sniffed in Ace’s direction, seemingly picking up on the fact that he was approaching her. Law reached up to scratch her cheek. “You could try,” he said. “Just... keep talking, so she knows where you are.”

“Sure, sure,” Ace replied. He took a few cautious steps towards Law as he spoke. “Hey, little lady, my name’s Ace. I’m Law’s friend. Is it okay if I come say hi?”

Cora seemed somewhat distracted by Law’s scratches, but was still staring vigilantly in Ace’s general direction. “Show her your hand,” Law instructed, “So she can smell you.”

Ace did as he was told, offering an open palm in front of Cora’s nose. She sniffed his hand for a moment before she _hissed,_ her ears folding back. Law flinched as claws dug into his shoulder, and he reached up to hold her in his arms instead.

“Alright, maybe not this time,” he said with a soft laugh, holding her securely against his chest. Ace, meanwhile, looked like a dejected puppy, which tugged at Law’s heartstrings a little more than it probably should have. “Hold on, I’m going to let her back into my room so she can calm down.”

As Law carried Cora to his bedroom, he gently patted her back in an attempt to relax her again. By the time he set her down on his bed, she’d at least stopped trembling. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I know you don’t like new people.” He scratched the spot behind her ear as condolence, and when he heard her purring again, it seemed he was forgiven.

When Law returned to the living room, Ace was back on the couch, looking at his phone. He lifted his head at the sound of footsteps and smiled. “Maybe next time?” he suggested.

Law nodded. “Honestly, she might’ve just been picking up Daisy’s scent on your hand,” he said as he sat down beside Ace. “She’s not used to being around other animals.”

“That makes sense,” Ace replied. “She’s adorable, though. ‘Specially how she sits on your shoulders like that.” He nudged Law’s side with his elbow, which made Law flinch ever so slightly. “It’s a good look on you.”

Law wasn’t quite sure how to interpret that, but he tried to mask his discomfort with a chuckle. He wasn’t going to ask for an explanation. “Oh, how are your ribs healing?” he asked in an abrupt change of topic, “And the rest of your injuries from the crash?”

“Oh, pretty good, actually,” Ace replied as he tucked his phone back into his pocket. “My ribs still ache sometimes, if I sleep on ’em weird or laugh too hard or something. But other than that, I’m doing alright.”

“That’s good,” Law replied. The more he thought about it, the more he felt... bad for Ace. Life just kept on throwing things at him, it seemed. “You’ve... really been through a lot these past few weeks,” Law continued. “How are you doing otherwise?”

Ace raised his eyebrows before he looked down at the floor, his smile fading somewhat. “Ah... you know, I’m hangin’ in there,” he said. “I, uh... I dropped the semester. So that’s one thing off my plate, I guess. But I’m looking into some freelance stuff so I can... y’know, have some income. Something to do.”

Law nodded slowly. “That’s good,” he said. “As long as you’re not overworking yourself.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll be fine,” Ace said with a wave of his hand. “It’s mostly editing jobs and stuff, so I’m just sitting at a desk, and I can set my own work hours and everything.” He pulled out his phone when it vibrated in his pocket and looked at the screen with a frown. “Shit, I didn’t realize how long I was out for. I don’t wanna overstay my welcome here.”

Part of Law wanted to protest, insist that Ace stick around, but he decided against it. He opened his mouth to ask if Ace had a ride home, but stopped himself when he remembered something Ace had said before. It was when Law had driven him home from the hospital after Luffy’s trip to the ER. When he’d seen Ace cry.

_“I don’t want to go back to an empty apartment.”_

Had he been able to sleep at home since Luffy’s surgery? Law had no idea. But he _did_ know that Ace had been having a hard time lately, and didn’t enjoy being home alone, and that was all the information he needed. “You can stay if you’d like,” Law said. “I don’t mind. I won’t sleep until the morning, anyway.”

Ace looked up at Law, his eyes wide. “You sure?” he asked. “Would... would Cora mind? I don’t wanna upset her.”

Law shrugged. “She’s been fine so far,” he said, “And what she can’t smell won’t scare her.”

Ace made a little _aww_ sound. “Well... as long as it’s okay with you, I’d love to stick around,” he said. “I scrolled past a couple other movies I think you’d _love_ if you liked that trainwreck we saw earlier.”

Law raised his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth twitching up slightly. “Sounds good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was gonna wait a bit longer to update, but i like this chapter a lot and wanted to share it!
> 
> also, you can find updates about the upcoming ship week @[acelaw-week](https://acelaw-week.tumblr.com/) on tumblr 👀


	17. Chapter 17

When Law invited Ace over for dinner, he certainly hadn’t expected the evening to end with a cheesy medical drama. He hadn’t exactly agreed to it— in fact, he’d actively protested— but that didn’t stop Ace. He just gave Law his biggest, proudest smile before he started the episode.

“Now I’m going to start getting this stuff in my recommendations,” Law muttered. He watched as the opening narration began, and could already tell it was going to be a mess. “This is so… dramatic.”

Ace snickered. “Yeah, Law. It’s a drama.”

Law rolled his eyes. As obnoxious as it was, he wasn’t _actually_ upset. Though, when a half-naked couple appeared onscreen, he sighed. “Why is it always sex?” he asked. “I bet they’re coworkers or something, right? Maybe one of them’s a nurse, or the other’s boss?”

Ace covered his mouth to suppress a giggle. “I guess you’ll just have to watch and find out.”

“I have never once looked at a coworker in a romantic or sexual way,” Law continued. “We don’t date other hospital staff. That’s just asking for trouble.”

“That’s kinda the whole point, though. Y’know, the drama?”

Law only scoffed and crossed his arms. He tried not to make too much of a fuss when, naturally, the man turned out to be the woman’s boss. He _did,_ however, have a problem when he saw a patient flatline, and one of the doctors tried to resuscitate them.

“What is he _doing?”_

“Well, that’s… CPR, right?” Ace asked. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”

“Not like _that,”_ Law said. “Those are the weakest chest compressions I’ve ever seen. That’s not saving anyone.”

“I mean, they can’t do it too hard if it’s not for real, right?” Ace asked. “They don’t wanna hurt the actor.”

“They could at least keep some sort of rhythm, instead of whatever the hell this is.” Law rolled his eyes, about ready to give up on that ridiculous show— and then another doctor pulled out a pair of defibrillator paddles, and his jaw dropped. “Oh my god. Don’t tell me they’re gonna defibrillate him.”

“Isn’t that… more effective than shitty CPR?” Ace asked.

“You don’t do that when someone’s flatlining,” Law explained. “That’s only for very specific types of arrhythmias. No one even uses those things anymore.” Regardless of his complaints, his eyes were glued to the screen. When the patient somehow sprang back to life at the first shock, he just put his head in his hands. “This is ridiculous.”

Ace just giggled. “I know.”

They continued on like that for the first half of the episode, with Law pointing out how inaccurate everything was and Ace snickering at how fired up he got. The absurdity of it all even got a few chuckles out of Law, despite how irritated he was.

“I don’t understand why they all want to have sex with each other,” Law said, turning to glance at Ace. “There’s nothing attractive about someone running on two hours of sleep and three cups of coffee.”

Ace snickered. “I dunno, I think some people can pull it off.”

Law rolled his eyes. “Sure, pretty actors who work eight hours a day on set and have an entire team of people making sure they look good,” he said. He didn’t catch Ace’s response, though, far too distracted by the unsanitary conditions of the operating room onscreen.

He continued his critical analysis until the credits rolled onscreen, and he let out a sigh of relief. “You know, all these people should be fired,” he said, _“Especially_ the attending surgeon having sex with an intern. He wasn’t even...” He trailed off, tensing up as he felt pressure on his shoulder. He looked away from the screen to find Ace dozing off, leaning up against Law.

He didn’t really know what to do with that. If it was a sleep attack, he didn’t want to wake Ace up and risk disorienting him. Even if he’d just fallen asleep on his own, it seemed unnecessary to disturb him. He needed his rest, after all.

So, with as little movement as possible, Law grabbed his laptop from the coffee table to answer some emails.

The initial contact had been a little jarring, but it wasn’t all that bad. Ace was warm, and he had enough support on the back of the couch, so all his weight wasn’t resting on Law. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but it also wasn’t _un_ comfortable.

Law sent off a few emails, typing as best he could with limited use of his right arm. He was so focused that he hardly even noticed the man sleeping on his shoulder after a while— though, he _did_ notice a familiar little furball hopping up onto the couch.

“Hi, Cora,” Law greeted in a soft voice. Cora made a little _mrrp_ sound before she gently headbutted the side of his laptop. He put his hand up to keep her from climbing onto his keyboard, but she was persistent and kept trying to navigate around it. Maybe she liked the warmth of the laptop, or maybe she was just upset because he wasn’t petting her. Either way, he was trying to work, and she was disruptive.

With a soft sigh, Law abandoned the keyboard to pick her up. She seemed pretty content with that, and it was tempting to take a break and pet her. But he only had a few more things to type up, and he needed his hands to do so.

He glanced over towards Ace, who was still sound asleep. She liked him when he was sleeping, right?

Carefully, Law placed Cora down on Ace’s lap. She took her time sniffing around, climbing across his thighs, getting used to the space. Then, she plopped right down, letting the side of her face rest against Ace’s stomach.

Law was, admittedly, pretty surprised. He’d half expected her to use Ace as a springboard to launch herself off the couch. Instead, she was snuggling right up to him, something she only ever did with Law. Apparently, Ace was a good enough source of warmth that it was worth the risk.

Law finished up the last of his emails before moving on to research, browsing the latest news in medicine. Occasionally, he’d reach over to pet Cora, who’d curled up into a fluffy little croissant on Ace’s lap. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there when Ace stirred, making a questioning sound as he sat up.

“You fell asleep after the show,” Law explained, barely glancing up from his laptop. “It’s still nighttime.”

Ace mumbled something incoherent in response, and Law looked over just in time to see him petting Cora’s head. He looked barely awake, his eyes half-open. Law took the opportunity to stand up and escape the couch, relieved to have a chance to stretch his legs.

“You can go back to sleep,” he said as he set a pillow down so that Ace could rest his head on it. “You’re fine.”

Despite how out of it Ace was, he picked up on Law’s words and moved to lie down on his side. The jostling left Cora a bit disgruntled, but she managed to make herself comfortable sitting in a loaf on top of Ace’s side. And with that, Ace fell asleep within seconds.

* * *

Around 9 AM, Law came out of his office to eat breakfast. Ace was still sound asleep, even when Cora leapt off of him at the sound of Law pouring her food. Law decided that if Ace hadn’t woken up by the time he settled in for bed himself, he’d leave a note. There was no point in waking him up early just to kick him out.

After he ate breakfast, Law headed to the bathroom to take out his contacts and have a shower. When he slid his shirt over his head and looked in the mirror, he frowned. The lighter patches of skin on his chest had faded somewhat since the last time he’d seen them, but they were still _there._ Not so obvious to the average person, maybe, but certainly enough to bother him.

He tried not to dwell on it, though. As he stepped in the shower, letting the hot water soothe his aching muscles, he thought about more pleasant things.

Like the man sleeping on his couch, for instance.

He really wasn’t sure what had motivated him to stick with Ace. At first, he and Luffy just kept… showing up in Law’s life. He didn’t have much control over that. But, more recently, he’d been actively reaching out of his own accord. He visited Luffy on a near-daily basis, checking in with Ace to make sure he was taking care of himself and generally just _caring_ about them.

But… why?

Pity, maybe— that was part of it, at least. He saw someone who was struggling, someone he could help, and he took action. Ace was young, still finding his footing in the world, and perhaps Law saw a bit of his younger self in that.

Plus, after their evening together, he was sure he enjoyed Ace’s company. There weren’t many people he was actually _fond of,_ but Ace was amiable and pleasant to be around. Even if their meetings had been a bit of a nuisance at first, he’d really grown on Law over time.

It was strange to feel so positively about someone he’d known for a relatively short amount of time.

Law shook his head as he shut off the water. He didn’t want to overthink it, especially not when he was supposed to be settling down to sleep. He dried himself off, brushed his teeth, and put his glasses on before he stepped out of the bathroom.

When he found himself face-to-face with the subject of his thoughts, he froze.

“Oh! Uh, hey,” Ace said, an apologetic little smile on his face. Law adjusted the towel around his waist and awkwardly wrapped his arms around his torso. Ace shook his head before he took a couple steps back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to… I mean.” He cast a not-so-subtle glance down towards Law’s bare chest before he cleared his throat. “Good morning. I wasn’t sure if you were still awake.”

“I was just about to head to bed,” Law said with a nod, making a move to slip past Ace and get to his bedroom across the hall. Thankfully, Ace didn’t turn to face him again until he could hide behind the door, only his head poking out.

Ace seemed to be at a loss for words until he said, “I… didn’t know you wore glasses.”

Law blinked. _That’s_ what he chose to focus on? “Ah… yeah. Contacts, usually,” he replied. “Do you need a ride home?”

Ace shook his head. “Oh, no, it’s fine,” he said. “I was gonna grab some breakfast down the road. I can walk.” He paused, glancing between Law and the door he was hiding behind. “Your tattoos are… really cool, by the way. I hadn’t seen all those before.”

“Oh. Thank you,” Law mumbled, hoping Ace wouldn’t have any further comments about his appearance. Though, the hallway was dark enough that it hopefully wouldn’t be an issue. “Do you… need anything before you leave? I’d like to get dressed.”

Ace raised his eyebrows. “Oh! No, I’m fine,” he said, his usual smile returning. “Sorry, I don’t wanna keep you. Thanks for having me. I had a really nice time.”

Law nodded. “Me too,” he said. “I’ll… talk to you later.”

“Have a nice sleep!” Ace replied, and left Law with a friendly little wave.

Law was quick to hide in his room, closing the door behind him. He had some more thinking to do.

* * *

That night, when Law went into work, he was already tired. He was used to that, though, and it was nothing a few cups of coffee couldn’t fix. He even left the house early enough to grab something from the cafe next door— but upon entering the hospital, he realized he’d neglected to eat anything since that morning.

To the cafeteria first, then.

He sipped his coffee as he walked through the halls, trying his best to look like he was headed somewhere important. The last thing he needed was someone trying to make small talk or pulling him into something time-consuming before he’d had a chance to eat. 

“Hey, Traffy!”

He’d been so close. He was _right_ at the entrance to the cafeteria when he heard it. Still, he tried not to make his irritation too obvious as he turned towards the source of the sound.

Luffy was rolling towards him in a wheelchair, the ever-present grin on his face. Law didn’t recognize the person pushing him, though— a girl about Luffy’s age, with short red hair. A friend he’d talked about, maybe?

“I missed you this morning!” Luffy said once he’d made it to Law’s side.

Despite the girl’s protests, Luffy stood from his chair and pulled Law into a hug. Immediately, Law went stiff as a board. His first reaction was to push Luffy away, but the kid was still recovering from surgery, and the last thing Law wanted to do was hurt him. So he just stood there, staring down at the ground, and managed an awkward pat on the back in return.

“Okay, Luffy, I think he’s had enough,” the girl, his saving grace, said with a chuckle.

Thankfully, Luffy released his hold and settled back down in his chair. For a brief moment, he looked a little disoriented, and Law kept a careful eye on him until his smile returned. “Did you have a nice night off?” Luffy asked.

Law thought back to the previous night— sitting with Ace on the couch, complaining about various forms of media together— and he almost smiled. “I did,” he answered. He wasn’t very interested in talking about himself, though, so he turned the conversation around. “Who’s your friend?”

“Oh!” Luffy glanced back at the girl, who gave Law a little wave. “This is Nami! Nami, this is Dr. Traffy!”

“My name is ‘Law,’ actually,” Law corrected promptly. He really didn’t want that catching on.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Nami replied with a smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Likewise,” Law said, then looked back down at Luffy. “I have to get to work soon. I’ll see you in the morning?”

Luffy gave him an enthusiastic nod. “I’ll see you then!” he said, “Bye, Traffy!”

As Law turned to head into the cafeteria, he heard Nami echo, “Bye, Traffy!” and let out a sigh. There was no stopping it, was there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was supposed to come out earlier in the week but i actually ended up rewriting the entire chapter and changing some major plot things around ;; but! now i've got chapter 18 drafted out, and 19 and 20 outlined, so i'm working at a pace i'm happy with.
> 
> also the "attending sleeping with an intern" thing is absolutely based off the first episode of grey's anatomy. yes that is literally how the show opens. one of the first scenes. medical dramas are wack my dudes
> 
> kudos and comments are always appreciated! ❤️


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really wasn't sure if i'd get this update in on time but ✨here we are✨
> 
> unsure if i'll have consistent updates for a bit! i have a lot of different writing projects going on over the next couple months and those are gonna take priority since they're time-sensitive. but i'll try my best!

Ace didn’t remember falling asleep, but by the time he woke up, there was a plastic-wrapped sandwich sitting on his lap. Daisy nearly stepped on it in her attempts to hop up and lick his face, and Ace chuckled as he patted her head. “S’okay, girlie, I’m good,” he said. “Thank you.”

Luffy was sound asleep in his bed, so Ace could only assume he’d already eaten. He vaguely remembered something about a walk down to the cafeteria, but Nami was nowhere in sight, so Ace figured she must’ve gone home already.

He sat up straighter in his chair as he checked the time on his phone. He’d been out for at least a half hour, maybe longer. It was still a little too early for Luffy to turn in for the night, but he was more than likely worn out from his trip around the hospital. Ace smiled fondly at his brother before he started on the sandwich, Daisy standing vigilantly at his feet.

He was nearly finished eating when a knock on the door made him lift his head. “Come in,” he said. He smiled at the sight of a familiar face— he’d only met Bepo a few times, but he and Luffy seemed to get along well. “Hey,” Ace greeted, keeping his voice low. “He’s asleep, but it seems he survived the trip to the cafeteria.”

“That’s good,” Bepo replied, matching Ace’s smile. “I actually came by to talk to you, though.”

Ace raised his eyebrows. “Me?” he asked. He wasn’t the patient. If a nurse was looking for him specifically, did that mean something bad had happened? “What about?”

Bepo must’ve picked up on Ace’s apprehension, because his expression turned apologetic. “Oh, I’m sorry, it’s nothing serious,” he said, shaking his head. “Completely unrelated to Luffy, actually. Me and one of the OR nurses are going out for drinks after my shift is over, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us.”

Ace blinked. That was the _last_ thing he’d been expecting to hear. “Is that… can we do that?” he asked. “Is that allowed?”

Bepo shrugged. “I don’t think there’s a problem with it, as long as we’re not discussing Luffy’s treatment,” he said. “But… you know, you can say no if you’re uncomfortable. I won’t be offended.”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” Ace replied with a chuckle. “Just makin’ sure. I don’t wanna get you in trouble or anything.” He glanced back towards Luffy. “When would we be leaving?”

* * *

The moment Ace stepped into the bar, he attracted the attention of a few less-than-sober women. He stopped to let them pet Daisy, who was very excited about the attention, but he let them go pretty soon after that. Bepo had invited him out, and he wasn’t about to abandon the guy for a group of strangers.

“Is it always this easy for you?” Penguin— another one of Law’s friends, he’d learned— asked him.

“Ah, what can I say?” Ace chuckled as he pet Daisy’s head. “She’s cute. No one can resist.”

“I should get a dog,” Penguin mused before he waved the bartender over.

Once the three of them ordered their drinks, they found a table to settle down at. Bepo and Penguin each had a bottle of beer, while Ace started with some water.

“Not a big drinker?” Bepo asked. “We could’ve just gone to a restaurant or something, if you’d prefer.”

Ace shrugged. “Oh, no, I don’t mind at all,” he said. “I’ll probably get a cocktail or somethin’ after this. I just don’t like to drink a lot ’cause it makes me tired.” A cocktail did sound appealing, but if he was going to fall asleep on them, he at least wanted time to chat first. He took a sip of his water before he asked the question that had been on his mind since Bepo invited him out: “So, how long have you two known Law?”

Bepo and Penguin exchanged a glance before Penguin answered: “I met him in college. Me and Shachi saw a scared little freshman and took him under our collective wing.” He grinned. “And we’ve been a nuisance to him ever since.”

“Hey, he loves you guys, even if he doesn’t show it all the time,” Bepo said before he turned to face Ace. “I’ve known him since middle school. We were neighbors when he first moved to the city.”

Ace raised his eyebrows and tried not to make his smile too obvious. Asking about Law’s awkward teen years was… tempting. But he’d been invited to hang out with Bepo and Penguin, not to gossip about Law.

“How’d you meet him, Ace?” Penguin asked, only encouraging Ace’s desire to talk more about the surgeon. “I’ve only heard his side of the story, and he was pretty stingy on the details.”

Ace smiled. That sounded about right. “Yeah, well, the poor guy probably thought I was dead or somethin’,” he said. “I had a sleep attack in the middle of the park, so I was just conked out on a bench with Daisy in my lap. He came over to see if I was okay.”

“How nice of him,” Bepo replied.

Ace nodded. “And then we met again when he found me passed out in that cafe by the hospital,” he continued. “Usually, Daisy’s around to guide me somewhere to sit before I drop, but she wasn’t with me at the time. And people really tend to get worried when I just… hit the floor. Y’know?”

“Yeah, I can imagine,” Penguin said. “What did he do?”

“He just made sure I was okay, that I didn’t hurt my head or anything,” Ace said with a shrug. “Told me to take it easy. I bought him a coffee for his efforts.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Penguin said with a smile. “He didn't scare you off, huh? His whole vibe tends to be kinda… offputting for a lot of people.”

Ace shrugged. “He seemed nice enough,” he said. “I guess I get why people might be intimidated by him, but… I dunno. He’s been really considerate. He’s done a lot for me and Luffy.”

Bepo hummed. “He _is_ really considerate, once he puts in the effort to care about someone.”

“Sometimes too much, honestly,” Penguin added. “The guy works himself too hard, especially when it comes to his job.”

Bepo nodded in agreement. “I practically had to _beg_ him to take his birthday off. He hasn’t used a vacation day in months.”

Ace raised his eyebrows, pausing mid-sip before he set his glass back down. “His birthday?” he echoed. “Is that coming up?”

Bepo and Penguin shared another glance before Penguin grinned. “This weekend, actually,” he said, “The sixth. I know he doesn’t have any plans ’cause he hates it when we do stuff for him.”

Ace nodded slowly, thinking about the days ahead. He could definitely account for that. “You think he’d get upset if I… invited him out or something?” he asked.

Penguin shrugged. “I mean… you don’t _have_ to tell him it’s for his birthday,” he said, lifting his bottle to his lips. “You didn’t hear it from us.”

Slowly, a grin spread across Ace’s face. “Yeah, of course not,” he said. He was already making plans in his head. “It’ll just be a nice little outing on his night off, that’s all. No special occasions.”

The conversations about Law went on for longer than Ace expected— not that he was complaining. It was interesting to hear about him from people who really knew him. Though, no matter how hard he tried to get stories of a younger Law out of them, they refused, claiming Law would _not_ be happy if he found out.

After Ace got up to order his first alcoholic beverage of the evening, the conversation shifted more towards Luffy. He talked about their group of friends and Luffy’s plans to travel the world with them, still ambitious despite his current condition. He told them about how proud he was that Luffy managed to stay positive through it all— at which point he got a little teary-eyed. If Bepo and Penguin noticed, they didn’t say anything about it.

By the time they left the bar, Ace felt pleasantly buzzed and a little sleepy. Even though he was close enough to walk home without a problem, Bepo insisted on accompanying him. The trip was short and relatively quiet, up until they came to the entrance of the building.

Ace turned to face Bepo, his hands stuffed into his pockets. “Hey, could I… ask you something before you head back?”

“Sure,” Bepo replied, a friendly smile on his face. “What’s up?”

“Is Law, like...” Ace paused. He had to think about how he wanted to phrase this. “I mean, you don’t have to answer if you don’t wanna, ‘cause it’s probably none of my business. But I think we’ve gotten kinda close over these past couple months, and I was just wondering if that was...” He shook his head. “I mean. I wanna make sure I’m not stepping on anyone’s toes. Y’know, if there’s someone else in his life.”

Bepo raised his eyebrows. “Are you... asking me if he’s single?”

Ace gave him a little nod. So much for trying to be subtle. 

“As far as I know, he is,” Bepo replied. “Unless he has some secret lover he’s not telling us about. But I doubt it.”

Ace let out a nervous little laugh. “Sure, of course,” he said, waving it off like it was no big deal— when, in fact, it was a _very_ big deal to him. And the fact that Bepo was just smiling at him wasn’t helping his embarrassment. “But, uh… yeah. Just making sure.” He cleared his throat and turned towards the door. “Thanks for inviting me out. Night.”

“Goodnight,” Bepo replied, clearly holding back a laugh of his own. “Thanks for coming out with us!”

* * *

Law Trafalgar  
  
hey! when’s your next night off?  
Saturday. Why?  
i was wondering if you wanted to hang out again? i could cover dinner as a thank you for the other night 😁  
You don’t have to, it’s okay.  
but i want to! i need another night out anyway. it felt really good to have some time where i wasn’t just worrying about luffy you know?  
and also i just like hanging out with you  
Alright. As long as you don’t mind. sweet! we can figure out a time and stuff later in the week 😊

Sanji 🔥  
  
hey have you ever made rice balls before?  
A few times. Why?  


* * *

Saturday afternoon, Ace had Sanji over to help prepare dinner. He hadn’t specified what the meal was _for,_ so naturally, Sanji had some questions.

“So, why the sudden interest in Japanese cuisine?” he asked as he washed his hands in the sink. “I didn’t even know you liked Asian food.”

Ace shrugged. “I’ll have it on occasion,” he said. “But, uh… it’s Law’s favorite, actually. And today is his birthday, so I wanted to do something nice for him.” He lowered his gaze, his voice getting a little quieter. “I… thought I’d set up a little picnic in the park.”

Sanji briefly glanced back at Ace before he started washing the rice in a strainer. “That sounds a little… romantic,” he said. “I thought you were waiting on making any moves?”

“I’m not _making a_ _move._ I’m just planning a nice night out with a friend.” Despite his words, Ace could feel his face getting warm. “But, I _did_ happen to talk to a couple of his friends, and found out he is… available. So I may have gotten my hopes up just a little bit.”

Sanji chuckled. “Listen, as long as you’re not doing anything dangerous or stupid, I’m not gonna stop you,” he said. Ace watched as he poured the rice into a saucepan, along with some water, and turned the heat on. “You’re sure you trust this guy, though?” Sanji asked. “He still gives me the creeps.”

“Yeah, of course,” Ace replied. “We had a really nice time together earlier this week. We watched a movie together, and he _listened_ to me when I rambled on about how bad it was. He asked _questions,_ Sanji.”

Sanji raised his eyebrows. “Really now?” he asked as he walked over to search Ace’s cabinets. “How sweet of him. Why don’t you just propose now?”

That earned him a light smack on the shoulder before Ace walked over to stir the rice. “How long should this sit for?” he asked.

“Once it boils, you can turn the heat down and leave it covered for fifteen minutes or so,” Sanji replied, holding back another laugh. He pulled a bowl out of the cabinet before he glanced over his shoulder. “Have you never cooked rice before?”

Ace shrugged. “We either get takeout or stuff you bring us,” he said. “My cooking skills are limited to, like… mac and cheese. You know this.”

“You should’ve made that instead,” Sanji replied with a snicker. “I’m sure he’d love it. Very classy.” He filled the bowl with water and a bit of salt before he set it down on the counter. “What else are you bringing?”

Ace blinked. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Should I… bring something else?” he asked. “I wasn’t sure if these were a main course sort of thing or not.”

Sanji shrugged. “They could be,” he said. “We could also make sushi.”

“Sushi?” Ace asked, eyebrows raised. “Yeah, alright. Do you have the stuff to make it?”

“Back at my place,” Sanji said. “I can grab a few things. Just keep stirring the rice and try not to light anything on fire, okay?”

Ace couldn’t even bring himself to be annoyed by the warning— he was no stranger to the occasional kitchen fire, they both knew that. Still, he managed to keep everything under control until Sanji showed up with a bowl full of everything they’d need for sushi.

“We have to make more rice,” Sanji said as he set the bowl down. He dug around in the bowl for a moment before he offered Ace an avocado. “Do you have a cutting board?”

Ace had to think about that for a moment. _Did_ he? “Uh… maybe,” he said. “Hold on.” He crouched down to search his lower cabinets, and soon pulled out a plastic cutting board. “Yep!”

“Good.” Sanji set the avocado down on the counter before he turned his attention to the stove. “Cut that in half, then cut one half into slices. Carefully.”

“Of course, when am I _not_ careful?” Ace asked as he grabbed a knife from the drawer. He tried to ignore the sidelong glance Sanji gave him. “There’s a pit in the middle, right?”

“Yeah, cut around that,” Sanji replied. “I can store the half with the pit in it for later, don’t worry about that.”

“Got it,” Ace said with a nod. He worked carefully to cut around the pit, slicing the avocado evenly in half. As he peeled the skin off, he looked back to Sanji, who was still facing the stove. “Hey, can I be, like… a little gay for a second?” he asked.

“I didn’t think there was anything straight about taking your man crush out on a picnic date,” Sanji said without looking up, “But sure. Knock yourself out.”

Ace rolled his eyes. He knew any attempts to protest the word ’date’ would be futile, especially with what he was about to say. “When I was at his place the other night, when I woke up in the morning, I… kinda caught him fresh out of the shower in a towel,” he said, “And the guy is… _inked,_ Sanji.”

“Did you not… know that already?” Sanji asked. “His hands are covered in tattoos.”

Ace shook his head. “No, but I mean, like… _all over,”_ he said. “He ducked out pretty quickly, so I didn’t get much of a look, but he’s also, like… weirdly toned? And it was very jarring.”

Sanji chuckled. “Really? He looked pretty scrawny to me.”

 _“Right?”_ Ace said. “He doesn’t seem like he has time to be hitting the gym every day, so how does he even look like that?”

Sanji turned to face him again, holding the pan of rice. “Didn’t I ask you to slice that?” he reminded Ace, looking down at the half of an avocado in his hand.

Ace hoped the blush on his face wasn’t too obvious while he returned to the cutting board.

“Are you sure you’re going to be able to hold off on this until everything’s calmed down with Luffy?” Sanji asked. “I haven’t seen you like this since you thought you were in love with me.”

Ah, his face was getting warmer, suddenly. “I’ll be _fine,”_ he insisted. Once he’d sliced the last of the avocado, he slid the cutting board over towards Sanji. “Like I told you before, I’m not even sure if it’s, like… a whole _thing._ It might just be another little fleeting crush.”

“Ace, we both know that hasn’t stopped you from acting on your feelings before—”

“This is _different,_ ” Ace insisted. Exactly _how_ it was different, he couldn’t quite pinpoint. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he didnʼt rush into things. “I’ll be fine. Whatʼs the next step here?”

They spent the rest of their time together discussing things that wouldn’t get Ace so flustered— other types of food, for instance. By the time Ace was planning on heading out to the park, he was more than ready to go. Sanji had even helped him pack a bag with everything he needed: four rice balls, two rolls of sushi, two bottles of water, plates, napkins, and a blanket for them to sit on. He tried not to seem too visibly excited as he sent Sanji off, but he couldn’t contain the grin on his face when he led Daisy out of the apartment building.

Maybe it wasn’t a date. But he was still going to have a lovely time.


	19. Chapter 19

“You know, when you said we were going out for dinner, I assumed you meant we were going to a restaurant.”

Ace smiled. Perhaps it would have been a good idea to give Law more details about their evening, but where was the fun in that? He liked the idea of surprising Law, even if only _part of it_ was a surprise. “I just… thought it’d be fun, since it’s so nice out tonight,” Ace replied. “We _could_ go to a restaurant if you really want to, though.”

Law looked out towards the horizon. The sun hadn’t quite set, but it was getting there. The weather was a bit chilly, but nothing a light jacket didn’t solve. And Ace had picked out a more secluded section of the park, obscured by some trees and far away from everyone else.

“It’s fine,” Law said, shaking his head. “We can stay here.”

Ace’s little smile turned into more of a grin. “Perfect,” he said. “Just gimme a sec, and we can sit.” He set his backpack down on the ground and pulled out the blanket he’d brought along. Once he’d spread it out, he sat down, and Law followed suit. Daisy curled up right by Ace’s side, lying down at his command.

“So, I’ve got a couple things for us to eat,” Ace said, searching through his backpack once again. He grabbed the containers that held the rice balls and sushi, but paused when he spotted something that had most definitely not been there before: a small bottle of wine he recognized from his cabinet.

“Everything okay?” Law asked.

Ace lifted his head, and his smile returned. “Oh, yeah!” he said, “Sorry. Uh, Sanji helped me pack all this, and it looks like he slipped in some wine when I wasn’t looking. So we have that, if you’d like any.”

Law chuckled softly. “I might,” he said. “What are we having to eat?”

“Right! Here we are.” Ace set the containers down between them before he popped them open. While a few pieces of rice had scattered around the bottom, the food remained mostly intact. “A little birdie told me you like Japanese food, so… we made these earlier today.” He looked up from the food to gauge Law’s reaction.

Law looked surprised, his eyebrows raised as he stared down at the containers. “I… yes, I do,” he said after a moment. “Thank you very much.”

“Of course,” Ace replied, “I wanted to do something nice for you since you’ve done so much for me and Luffy.” He pulled a pair of plates out of the bag, one of which he passed over to Law. “Do you, uh… do you want wine? Or I have water, too.”

Law was already placing one of the rice balls on his plate. “Sure, why not?”

Ace found two wine glasses Sanji had wrapped carefully in paper towels to protect them, as well as a bottle opener. He’d have to have a word with the cook later— for now, he was just trying not to look too flustered as he poured their drinks.

“Did this… ‘little birdie’ you spoke to happen to be of the flightless variety?” Law asked.

Ace paused mid-pour, a dumbstruck look on his face. “Wh— uh, what?”

“Penguin,” Law clarified. “The nurse.”

“Oh!” Ace chuckled when he connected the dots, then resumed his pouring. “He… might’ve mentioned it. I just met him for the first time a few days ago.” He set the bottle aside before passing one of the glasses to Law, who mumbled a ‘thank you.’ “Is that his real name? I like it.”

Law shook his head. “It’s a nickname. He’s had it for as long as I’ve known him.” He took a small sip of his wine before he set his glass down on the ground. “Rosé is a good choice for sushi.”

“Is it?” Ace asked. “I don’t really drink a lot of wine. I think this was a gift from a while ago.” He reached out to grab a rice ball for himself, and looked up just in time to see Law take his first bite. The reaction was subtle, _so_ subtle, but Ace caught a bit of a smile on his face. “How’d we do?” he asked before he took a bite himself. He tasted tuna, and by the looks of it, Law had grabbed one of the seaweed-filled ones.

“It’s good,” Law said with a nod. “Your friend knows what he’s doing.” He took another, bigger bite, and turned his head to look out towards the horizon again. The sun was just starting to set, hints of orange and pink tinting the sky. “How did you meet Penguin, by the way?”

“Mm?” Ace hummed through a mouthful of rice. He didn’t realize he’d just been sort of… gazing at Law until the man turned to face him again.

“Penguin. He’s an OR nurse, he doesn’t work in pediatrics. Howʼd you meet him?”

Oh, right. Law probably wouldn’t know about his night out with the nurses unless one of them decided to mention it. Ace swallowed the rest of the rice before he spoke. “Uh, Bepo invited me out for drinks with them the other night,” he explained. “They both seem really nice.”

Law narrowed his eyes for just a moment before he seemed to relax. “Yes, they’re… friendly,” he said. “Nice of them to invite you out.”

Ace raised an eyebrow. He supposed it made sense for Law to be a little apprehensive about Ace meeting his friends— he didn’t seem to want anyone to know it was his birthday, after all. “You should meet me and Luffy’s other friends sometime,” Ace said, hoping to redirect the conversation. “It’s a nice group. Really welcoming.”

Law nodded. “I met… Nami, I think?” he said. “The other day, I bumped into her and Luffy at the start of my shift.”

“Oh yeah?” Ace asked with a smile. “He _loves_ her. I swear they’re gonna get married someday, if platonic marriage is even a thing.”

Law chuckled. “Platonic marriage?” he asked. “Interesting.”

“I’m sure someone’s done it,” Ace said with a shrug. “He’s very adamant about the fact that it’s not romantic, though. I guess he’s not really into that sort of thing. So don’t call her his girlfriend, or he’ll get annoyed.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Law mumbled. He finished off the rice ball before he took another sip of wine, and his fingers resting on the glass caught Ace’s attention— it was the first time in a while that he had a moment to look at the letters inked into his skin.

“Hey, are you okay with people asking about your tattoos?” Ace asked without thinking much about it.

Law looked back at Ace before he glanced down at his hand. “I guess it depends,” he said. “What would you like to know?”

Ace picked up his own glass and swished his wine around while he tried to think of a good question. He took a deep breath before he spoke, choosing his words carefully. “The words on your hands,” he said, “Do they… have anything to do with your sister you told me about?” 

Law tilted his head slightly. He seemed to be studying Ace’s expression. “Partially,” he answered. Ace thought that maybe he would elaborate, but he reached over to grab another rice ball instead.

Perhaps that was all he wanted to say about his hands.

“What about the rest of them, then?” Ace asked. “The… hearts? I know I didn’t see them for very long, but they looked… really cool.”

Law cleared his throat, looking down at the grass in front of them. “Thank you,” he said. “Those are also… family-related. In a way.”

Ace nodded. “My tattoos are for family, too,” he said. If he was asking questions, he figured he might as well provide some answers of his own. “The letters on my arm, those are for me and Luffy’s foster family.”

Law lifted his head again, only to glance down at where the tattoo was covered by Ace’s sweatshirt sleeve. “What do the letters stand for?” he asked. “I know there’s an A, but I don’t remember seeing an L.”

Ace snickered. “Oh, no, Luffy’s got the C,” he said, “‘Cause he was always such a crybaby.”

Law smiled just a tad, but quickly hid it with another sip of wine. Just as Ace opened his mouth to drop some embarrassing childhood stories about his brother, his phone rang from his pocket. “Oh shit, I’m sorry,” he said, mentally cursing himself for not silencing his phone. They were having a nice, _quiet_ time together, and the last thing he wanted was an interruption.

Although, when he looked at the screen and saw the name of the hospital on the caller ID, he froze.

“...Ace?” Law said.

“Uh, yeah, sorry, I…” He shook his head. “I gotta take this. It’s the hospital.”

“Sure,” Law replied, though Ace barely heard it as he stood up and answered the call.

“Hello?” Ace said, trying to keep his voice level and calm.

A voice he didn’t recognize came through the receiver. “Hello, is this Ace Portgas?”

“Speaking, yeah.”

“I’m calling about Luffy Portgas. There’s been a complication with his heart transplant, and we’re requesting your presence at the hospital as soon as possible.”

Ace’s stomach dropped. The world seemed to stop for a moment as the words sunk in. Suddenly, he could hear his own pulse pounding away in his ears.

“Mr. Portgas?”

The voice sounded distant now. His vision was going dark. He could just barely feel Daisy’s head against his leg before his phone slipped out of his hands and he dropped to his knees. A muffled voice called out for him as he fell forward, but instead of hitting the ground, he collided with something soft and warm. It wasn’t Daisy, though— he could still feel her by his side, licking his hand, giving him something familiar to focus on. It was just enough to keep him from fading out completely.

After a couple slow, shaky breaths, he realized someone was talking right by his ear. And that _someone,_ the person keeping him upright, was Law.

“Yeah, he’s awake and breathing, just unresponsive. His service dog is here with us.”

Ace blinked to focus his vision, but didn’t lift his head from Law’s shoulder. Was he talking on Ace’s phone?

“I’ll make sure he gets over there and gets checked out. Thank you.”

As Law put the phone down, Ace reached towards the top of Daisy’s head so that he could pat it. “Good girl,” he mumbled.

“Ace?” Law’s voice came in again. Ace realized that Law had an arm wrapped around him, which was basically the only thing keeping him from falling over. “Ace, can you hear me?”

Ace managed to nod against Law’s shoulder, but didn’t move otherwise. His body felt like lead, and frankly, the close contact was helping him relax.

“Has anything like this happened to you before?”

Another nod. “Cataplexy,” Ace mumbled. It was a symptom of his narcolepsy— occasionally, when faced with a stressful situation, his muscles would give out all at once. “What’s going on with Luffy?”

“Luffy’s being taken care of,” Law replied. “They’ll do everything they can for him. In the meantime, I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“M’okay,” Ace mumbled, though he knew that was a lie. The more time he had to process the situation, the more his anxiety would build. 

“Do you want to lie down for a minute?”

Ace nodded again. He knew he didn’t have much of a choice, since he certainly wouldn’t be able to stand up on his own at the moment. He let Law reposition him to lie on his back, using his bag as a makeshift pillow. His vision had finally cleared enough for him to see Law’s face, the concerned expression gazing down at him.

“Do you feel dizzy?” Law asked, two fingers pressing lightly against Ace’s pulse on his wrist.

“A little,” Ace answered. He hesitated before he asked, “Did they say anything else about Luffy? What’s wrong with him?”

“They didn’t go into much detail,” Law answered, and Ace couldn’t tell if he was lying or not. “They did mention he’s going into surgery. But I’m sure they can tell you everything once you get over there.”

Ace gulped. Another surgery was… a bad sign, right? Was there something wrong with the new heart? Would he end up on the transplant list again, or was it an entirely different issue? How much longer would his recovery be if he even made it through the next procedure?

“Ace, can you take a deep breath?”

Ace’s eyes flickered back to Law’s, and he realized just how tense his body was. He reached out to pet Daisy, who had snuggled up against his side, before he took a deep breath. Her presence alone always managed to keep him grounded, even in the most stressful situations.

“Good,” Law said. “Do you want some water? You said you had some in the bag, right?”

Ace nodded and reached behind his head to pull a bottle of water from the bag. Law helped him sit up so that he could drink it, and after a few sips, he already felt a little better.

“Do you want to pack up and head over to the hospital?” Law asked. “I can drive you.”

Despite the spike of dread Ace felt at the idea of facing the situation head-on, he nodded. At the very least, he wanted to know what was going on with Luffy.

The ride to the hospital was quiet. Ace didn’t want to talk, and Law wasn’t going to force him. He just stared out the window, occasionally sipping his water while he waited for them to arrive. It wasn’t until they pulled into the parking garage that he realized tears were falling down his cheeks.

“We could… wait out here for a bit if you’re not ready to go in yet,” Law said as he shut off the car. “We don’t need to rush. They’ll be taking care of him all the same.”

Ace reached back to pet Daisy, who was trying to figure out how to climb into the front seat. “Yeah,” he said, his voice strained by how tight his throat felt. “Just… need a minute.”

Law leaned back in his seat. “Sure. Take your time.”

Daisy settled with resting her chin on the center console while Ace scratched behind her ears. Even if she wasn’t formally trained in emotional support, she had a good enough sense of Ace’s feelings to know when he needed her. She was always by his side at the right time, a perfect source of comfort. Still, she couldn’t do much to stop his anxious thoughts.

“What if he dies?”

Law didn’t answer right away. Ace didn’t expect him to.

“He might, he might not,” Law said. “There’s always a chance for both. It’s best not to dwell on one or the other, especially since we don’t have much information to begin with.”

“I guess,” Ace mumbled. The tears were still flowing, but only the shakiness of his voice gave him away. “But… I really don’t think I’d be able to handle it, Law. I think that’d break me.”

“It’s okay if you can’t handle it,” Law replied. His voice was the softest Ace had ever heard it, almost inaudible. “You have people to support you. You’re not in this alone.” A hand rested on Ace’s shoulder— tentative, gentle. “But right now, he’s still alive, and very capable people are working very hard to ensure he stays that way. That’s what matters.”

Ace took a slow, deep breath. He lifted a shaky hand to rest on top of Law’s. “Yeah.”

“The situation is… uncertain,” Law continued, “It’s only natural to worry. But if you talk to the doctor, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on.” He gave Ace’s shoulder a soft squeeze. “Do you want to go inside?”

Slowly, Ace nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY about the cliffhanger that seemed like a good note to end on
> 
> i have like three other versions of this chapter sitting in my drive, hence the slight Delay here. this was ready to go on thursday and then i decided to rework everything, only to end up going with the original idea anyway. but i think i've finally settled on a plan that i like, and i've got a decent idea of where the next few chapters are going 👀
> 
> also it's been a while since i've thanked [Bajillian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bajillian/pseuds/Bajillian) for beta reading this and just generally tolerating my constant yelling about this fic love u

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Homework](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26902384) by [Bajillian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bajillian/pseuds/Bajillian)




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